Melanie NeVilles (Shafer) got her Bachelor’s in Political Science from the University of Minnesota. She has experience organizing with different community-led campaigns, including the DOJ investigation into the Minneapolis police department, ending no-knock warrants, electing Mary Moriarty to the Hennepin County Attorney position, and electing Aisha Chugthai to the Minneapolis city council.
Melanie is passionate about ending the criminal (in)justice system and replacing it with a more humane approach to keeping our communities safe. And in the meantime advocating for community support to help one another mitigate harm from our unjust systems of oppression. This
She is also passionate about advocating for animal's right to live and have autonomy. She enjoys sharing delicious vegan food with those around her.
She loves spending time with her husband and son. Together they enjoy nature, play games, make art, garden, and goof around.

Our other co-founder, Sandy Bolton is a student at the University of Minnesota studying Spanish and Indigenous Studies, with a concentration in education. They have experience in education as a debate coach, creative writing teacher, and workshop leader as well as in activism working with and learning from local organizations such as CUAPB, MFT, and the George Floyd Square community. We both consider ourselves active advocates in the struggle against white supremacy and racist violence within the Twin Cities.