About
Streetwise & Safe (SAS) —also known as SAS—is a project by and for youth of color in New York City that shares the ins & outs, do’s & don’ts, and street poli-tics of police encounters between LGBTQQ youth of color and the police. We stand for and with LGBTQQ and youth with experience trading sex for survival needs. We feel knowing your rights makes you more confident in protecting yourself during and after interac-tions with the police. We also know that the reality is that the po-lice don’t always respect our rights but knowing what they are is important so that we can fight for them later. We also create a space to share strategies to stay safe from all forms of violence ex-perienced by LGBTQQ youth.
For several years, youth who came to the Urban Justice Center’s legal clinics raised the need for “know your rights” information that spoke directly to gender and sexuality-specific experiences of policing such as police sexual harassment and abuse, policing of sex work and trafficking, and unlawful searches and unsafe placement of transgender youth in police custody. We realized that providing direct legal services to queer youth of color who are often racially profiled, criminalized and policed in ways that are unique could be complemented by working with youth to develop and deliver “know your rights” information that is tailored to their experiences so that they can become strong self-advocates and share this knowledge with their peers.
In response, SAS was created to enable LGBTQQ youth to share critical information about their rights and strategies for increasing safety. We also work to create opportunities for LGBTQQ youth of color to claim a seat at policy discussion tables as full participants, speak out on their own behalf, act collectively to protect and advance their rights, and demand choices that allow them to maximize their safety, self-sufficiency, and self-determination.
SAS is now a year old and, thanks to our community’s support, we have flourished. We are excited to share in this newsletter the many ways in which we are exploring pathways to fostering a true sense of safety in our communities, standing in the footsteps of and alongside allied organizations such as FIERCE, Streetwork, Young Women’s Empowerment Project, Different Avenues, Sylvia Rivera Law Project, Women with a Vision and Community United Against Violence.
We are inspired and energized to continue to grow with SAS participants, and to work towards collective liberation while getting streetwise and staying safe. We invite you to join us in this journey and to support the work of queer youth of color standing up for their rights!
With hope and appreciation,
Andrea, Syd, Nadia, Mónica, Ileana and Tree
(Staff and Youth Facilitators)
