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YODER, Colo. — A renewed plea from Freedom Acres Ranch is drawing national attention as Courtney “CW” Mallery says threats against his life have escalated. He and his wife, Nicole, say years of racist harassment, violence and official inaction have left them fighting to remain safe on land they own.

In a video now circulating widely on social media, Mallery said someone had placed another threat or “hit” on his life. “They want me dead for farming, farming while Black,” he said.

His words follow a late-night shooting at the ranch in April. That incident left bullet holes in a vehicle and a shattered garage window. Months later, the Mallerys say they are still waiting for the protection they have repeatedly requested.

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Freedom Acres Ranch Shooting Deepens Fear

The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that its communications center received a 911 call about gunfire at the property on April 4. The caller reported that an unknown person banged on the door shortly before several shots rang out.

Investigators found several bullet holes in a vehicle and a broken garage window. No one was physically injured, but the shooting reinforced the danger the Mallerys had described for years.

Video obtained by investigators showed an unidentified pickup truck turn onto Truckton Road and stop at the residence at about 11:07 p.m. The truck left roughly 17 minutes later and headed toward Yoder Road. The sheriff’s office described the shooting as an active investigation and asked the public for information.

In April, the Mallerys told Capital B News that the gunfire marked an escalation in a long pattern of intimidation. “We are no longer speaking about harassment,” they said. “We are speaking about survival.”

The couple asked Gov. Jared Polis to provide emergency protection. They also urged Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, state Agriculture Commissioner Kate Greenberg and U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet to intervene.

Years of Reported Harassment and Loss

The Mallerys purchased more than 1,000 acres in Yoder in 2020 after Hurricane Harvey displaced them from Texas. They built Freedom Acres Ranch as a place to raise livestock, feed families and teach young people about agriculture.

Since moving to the largely white rural community, the couple has reported racial slurs, doxxing, surveillance, trespassing and property damage. They have also reported poisoned or dead animals, stolen cattle and people pointing guns at them. The Mallerys believe the harassment is part of an effort to force them from their land.

Records reviewed by Colorado Public Radio show that the Mallerys contacted law enforcement first about the property dispute in April 2021. The sheriff’s office later reported more than 170 calls involving the Mallerys and neighboring landowners over about two years.

Sheriff Joseph Roybal denied that race influenced his department’s response. However, an internal review of 24 reports found two cases in which deputies could have done more. The office reopened both cases, including one that listed the Mallerys as victims.

That history matters. The Mallerys’ current plea comes after years of documented calls for help and an official acknowledgment that deputies could have done more in at least two cases.

Charges Against the Mallerys Were Dismissed

The conflict took another turn when authorities arrested the Mallerys in 2023. Prosecutors charged them with felony stalking and other offenses tied to disputes over a road easement and cameras installed near their property line.

The Fourth Judicial District Attorney’s Office later dismissed every charge. District Attorney Michael Allen wrote that the available evidence and witness credibility left “no likelihood for success at trial.”

Nicole Mallery said the dismissal reflected the couple’s contention that law enforcement had targeted them instead of protecting them. Their attorneys also called for greater accountability and more thorough investigations before prosecutors file criminal charges.

The dismissal did not end the danger at Freedom Acres Ranch. It did, however, end the criminal cases that had placed the couple under suspicion while their own reports of harassment remained unresolved.

The Ranchers Turned Loss Into Statewide Reform

Despite the conflict, the Mallerys have continued serving communities across Colorado. According to the Freedom Acres Ranch website, the veteran-owned family operation accepts EBT and donates 5% of every sale to efforts fighting food insecurity.

Its Concrete to Countryside program introduces young people from cities to farming and ranching. The family describes its mission in three words: “Farmers Save Lives.”

After their cattle went missing, the Mallerys worked with Colorado lawmakers to improve how the state handles reports of lost or stolen livestock. Their advocacy helped produce Senate Bill 26-136, which passed both legislative chambers without opposition.

Polis signed the measure into law on May 26. It requires the state Division of Brand Inspection to create procedures for receiving lost or stolen livestock reports. Suspected thefts must reach relevant law enforcement agencies within 24 hours, and the state must notify the public.

The protections arrive as the cattle industry faces broader pressure. USA Herald recently reported that the U.S. cattle herd has fallen to a 75-year low, increasing the stakes for family ranches already struggling to protect their livestock.

The law turned one family’s struggle for help into stronger protections for ranchers statewide. It also showed that the Mallerys kept building and serving others while fighting to protect their own livelihood.

A Family Still Asking to Be Protected

Color of Change has joined the call for state and federal oversight. The civil rights group is seeking an independent investigation of the sheriff’s office, protection for the Mallerys and a review of alleged racial bias in local policing.

The public record gives weight to the urgency of that demand. Someone fired multiple rounds at the Mallerys’ property. Prosecutors abandoned the criminal cases against them, and the sheriff’s own review found two investigations that required more work.

For Courtney and Nicole Mallery, the threat carries the weight of everything that came before it. They believe a yearslong campaign is meant to frighten them, silence them and drive them from Freedom Acres Ranch.

“All we want to do is farm and feed our community,” the Mallerys told Capital B in April. After years of asking for help, that basic right remains at the center of their fight.