Black American ranchers arrested after going public about being harassed and terrorized by racist white neighbors for years.

By Edward Era Barbacena 

Since 2017, a Black ranching couple in Colorado has been putting up with alleged harassment, racism, and stalking by their white neighbors and the sheriff’s office. It all came to a head on Feb. 7, when one of the ranchers was arrested.

Courtney and Nicole Mallery own a 1,000-acre ranch in eastern El Paso County. They claim their white neighbors have been harassing them since they moved to the area, CBS News reports.

"We are stalked, we are harassed, we are chased, we are followed, there's been spray paint where they put 'n*****' on

Then Courtney Mallery was arrested. He was charged with a felony stalking case. His $6,000 bond was set, and the local Rocky Mountain chapter of the NAACP bailed him out.

According to CPR, the Mallerys’ neighbor, Teresa Clark, has filed numerous stalking complaints against them, alleging harassment and crimes against her animals.

The Mallerys have filed restraining orders against Clark, claiming she’s trespassed on their property, pointed guns at them, damaged their gate and security cameras, burned their Black Lives Matter flags, and poisoned their dogs.

All of the restraining orders, six filed by Courtney Mallery and two by his wife, Nicole, were dismissed in a local court.

Supporters of the Mallerys have raised money for security for the couple and allege that El Paso County Sheriff’s Deputy Sgt. Emory “Ray” Gerhart hasn’t supported them and may be playing a role in getting the couple to leave their farm, called Freedom Acres Ranch.

The couple says nothing has been done to help them after finding their livestock slaughtered and their property damaged, their chicken coop set ablaze, and their surveillance system disabled by high-tech jamming devices.

“They [are] tormenting me and my wife,” Courtney Mallery posted on Instagram.

In an interview with Ark Republic, the couple said things came to a head after articles on their alleged harassment were published and went viral in January.

The Gazette reports that a ranch hand who worked for the Mallerys was “shot dead in Rush, about 14 miles from their Yoder ranch.”

Courtney Mallery told the outlet that the man’s death was a "clear message" to them to leave town.

The body of Donaciano Amaya, 43, was found on May 21, 2021, and his killer remains at large.

A neighbor of the Mallerys, Valerie Clayborn, told The Gazette that she moved to the area “for peace and tranquility.”

“We loved it out here, but now I question myself… I’m worried for the Mallerys. I’m worried for us, also. I feel like I’m back in the 1800s,” Clayborn says.

Courtney Mallery was due back in court on Valentine’s Day.