Courtney and Nicole Mallery, Black farmers who moved to Yoder, Colorado in 2020, are now seeking justice after what began as a neighborly argument developed into something far more dangerous.
Following a series of troubling events on their farm, including the burning of a ‘Black Lives Matter’ banner and the strange death of some of their animals, the Mallerys claim they turned to police for assistance.
Yet, when they requested that police report their racist neighbors for harassment, they claimed that they were the ones who were subjected to backlash. In fact, Nicole Mallery was arrested and handcuffed.
Despite the fact that the Mallery farmers are recognized as community stewards, they believe they are being targeted and wrongfully charged with criminal stalking as payback by their white neighbors.
According to TSR, their “Freedom Acres” ranch sits on hundreds of acres and had been abandoned prior to the Mallery’s took it over. Since then, many of the aforementioned incidents have occurred, prompting the couple to confront their neighbors.
The Mallery’s even got the police involved, who ended up arresting them instead of their neighbors.
And yet morning after morning, Courtney would wake up to find cattle gutted, their dog poisoned with antifreeze, and random unmarked cars blocking their entranceway, amongst other disturbing situations.
Nicole says her neighbors even went so far as to create racist and private Facebook groups.
“Lynching us, causing a lynching mob, public hangings, lock us up and set us on fire,” Nicole told local media. “We don’t want to become a hashtag.”
Teresa Clark, the neighbor in question, is described as a woman in her forties who lives with her elderly mother. Clark’s property shares an easeway – a tiny road that connects both residences – with the Mallery farmers which has been a source of contention between them.
Clark filed her own affidavit against the Mallery’s, claiming she “is in fear for her safety.”
“Mrs. Clark is in fear for her safety due to unusual and disturbing behavior from the residents to the north of her property, the Mallery’s,” Clark alleges.
She eventually provided authorities with photos and videos in an effort to back up her claims, accusing the Mallery’s of yelling “hands up, don’t shoot!” to her and told Clark what to pack for heaven, the affidavit reads.
Clark also told police that the Mallery’s visited her home six times in one day back in October 2022, and installed several security cameras across the street from Clark’s home.
Nicole says she believes Clark is trying to steal their land from them “because they don’t believe we deserve it.”
It’s been chaotic ever since, with both sides filing upwards of 20 restraining orders against each other throughout the years.
But things really heated up last year when authorities began investigating the Mallerys for stalking allegations.
Meanwhile, local authorities in Colorado have continued to paint the Mallery’s in a bad light, telling reporters officers responded to upwards of 170 calls a their residence in Yoder.
The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office has released a comprehensive collection of reports related to the dispute here.