Black ranchers tried to live the American dream on their 1000 Colorado acres, but they were arrested after white neighbors turned it into a nightmare of mayhem and murder.
Source: Victor Griso Martinez / Getty
After years of ignoring Courtney and Nicole Mallery’s complaints of racist abuse and harassment, police finally responded by arresting them. Fox31 reports the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office dragged them away in handcuffs on Monday for stalking the same neighbors the Mallerys say terrorized them. Sadly, this is America in a nutshell.
“This Is Farming While Black In America”
The owners of Freedom Acres Ranch both face felony charges of “stalking, petty theft, and tampering with a utility meter.” Nicole documented Courtney’s arrest on her cellphone, live streaming to Instagram in case it was the last time anyone saw them alive.
“I’m being arrested. Pray for me, world,” he said to the camera.
Nicole emphasized their plight, begging viewers to contact the sheriff’s office to hold them accountable for keeping her husband safe.
“Let’s flood these lines to make sure that Courtney Mallery is not harmed while he’s in custody. This is farming while Black in America,” she said while recording.
Based on the two years of restraining orders, pictures, mutilated animals, and vandalism, the couple’s real crime seems to be owning something ruthless white people wanted. Courtney and Nicole hoped for a fresh start when they bought the land in 2020 after losing everything in Hurricane Harvey. They just hope to survive owning the land they refuse to lease or sell to white neighbors.
While racists try to erase America’s oppressive history from books and libraries, they’re repeating it right now. The Mallerys’ two-year battle is reminiscent of Black Wallstreet and countless other acts of domestic terrorism to force Black families out of white towns and steal their land.
“We don’t want to become a hashtag. I believe that it’s being done because we are African American. We own, I guess if we were in the city, you could say the block,” Nicole explained. “We own 1,000 acres of land, which everyone wanted this piece of land, and I believe they’re trying to steal our land from us and think we don’t deserve it,” Nicole said to Fox31.
Nicole was released hours after her arrest, but the judge tripled Courtney’s bond to $6000.
Murder, Mutilation, And Mayhem At Freedom Acres Ranch
Trespassing vehicles, vandalism with racial slurs, and sabotaged equipment are daily occurrences at Freedom Acres. The El Paso County community is so racist they don’t even bother hiding behind white hoods. Everyone knows who the Black newcomers are, but they don’t know the white strangers who follow them around town, drive past the property taking pictures and videos, or even point guns at them on their own land.
“They’ve talked about lynching us, bringing a public hanging, fire. They wanted to lock us in and set us ablaze. I am a United States Marine who has fought for this country. I fought for these same people who are terrorizing me, and at this moment right now, I do not have any trust in El Paso County Sheriff’s Office,” Nicole said.
Instead of raising livestock, Courtney spends more and more of his time burying them. In addition to the suspected arson of the chicken coop, Courtney repeatedly found beheaded goats, gutted hogs, and poisoned dogs. The savagery didn’t stop with innocent animals.
In the Mallerys’ Change.org petition to “fire corrupt Deputy Gerhart for abusing power” to steal their land, they say someone murdered their ranchhand Donaciano Amaya. They have no local recourse because Gerhart is married to Judge Shannon Gerhart.
Nicole and Courtney’s legal and political battles are far from over with a court date set for next week. They are working with the local NAACP chapter and planning a Feb. 17 rally next week. The state and federal governments need to intervene before another murder at Freedom Acres.
