- Black ranchers face sustained harassment, including doxxing, surveillance, and animal deaths on their property.
- The couple purchased land to launch a farm focused on food access and community health.
- Despite threats, the ranchers refuse to leave their land, committed to feeding their community.
Black ranchers Courtney “CW” Mallery and Nicole Mallery say they are now fighting for their lives after shots were fired at their Colorado property during Easter weekend. As previously reported by BOSSIP, this marks the latest escalation in a years-long dispute tied to allegations of racism, harassment, and law enforcement inaction.
According to Capital B, the couple, who own Freedom Acres Ranch in Yoder, Colorado, say the shooting was not random but the result of “sustained, repeated, and documented inaction” by the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office.
“We are no longer speaking about harassment. We are no longer speaking about intimidation. We are speaking about survival,” the couple said in a statement to Capital B. “All we want to do is farm and feed our community. How much terror must a family endure before it is taken seriously?”
Capital B reports that the Mallerys say they have endured years of harassment since relocating to the predominantly white rural community, including doxxing, surveillance, trespassing, vandalism, and finding their animals dead on their property.
The couple also reported that guns were pointed at them and that they were subjected to racial slurs.
“We’re not just making this stuff up in 2020. Y’all been doing this stuff. This is part of y’all game,” said CW Mallery. “The sheriff’s has been part of y’all weapon. He’s been weaponized against us for a long time, and to see it play out in real time; it really makes my blood boil.”
The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office has denied allegations of discrimination and previously stated that it responded to more than 170 calls for service and investigated numerous complaints tied to the situation.
From Hurricane Survival To Land Ownership Battle
The couple’s journey began after they were displaced by Hurricane Harvey in 2017, which led them to rethink food access and ultimately pursue farming.
“I had never experienced a hurricane in my life, and being on a roof and not being able to drink water. No food being accessible. The highway being underwater. It really was at that time where I started to think about how fractured the food system was,” Nicole Mallery told Capital B. “Depending on what side of the tracks you stayed on, that was your access to food.”
The Mallerys stated that they later purchased more than 1,000 acres in Colorado to launch Freedom Acres Ranch, with a mission centered on food access and community health.
The Mallerys are now calling for an investigation and urging officials, including Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser and Gov. Jared Polis, to intervene and provide emergency protection.
According to Capital B, the couple has also gained national attention, including features in the documentary High Horse: The Black Cowboy by Jordan Peele and rallies at the state Capitol.
“There are so many other Black people that are dealing with this that don’t know what to do. I hope that maybe following our journey gives them some hope, and maybe some kind of outline as to how they can overcome it,” said Nicole Mallery. “Go down to the legislature and get some laws passed so they know they can’t stop you.”
Standing Their Ground
Despite ongoing threats, the Mallerys say they are not leaving their land and remain committed to their mission.
“We got the future behind us, looking at us, so packing up and running is not an option,” CW Mallery said. “We ain’t doing nothing illegal here. We’re trying to feed America. It’s my mission to get fresh food into the Black communities.”
For Black families carving out space in rural America, the fight to simply live and work in peace is still ongoing.
