When Courtney and Nicole Mallery were thinking about buying a ranch on the Eastern Plains, other Black people in Denver told them to “be careful out there.” But it was the Mallerys’ dream to live off the land, so they bought some land east of Colorado Springs anyway. A simple dispute over their property line quickly escalated with slaughtered livestock, allegations of a racist conspiracy involving the local sheriff, felony charges for the Mallerys, and nearly $200,000 in donations to a GoFundMe supporting their cause. Producer Paul Karolyi sits down with the president of the Rocky Mountain NAACP, Portia Prescott, to talk through the case, the changing shape of racism in rural Colorado, and the legislation she thinks would have ended this whole thing before it started.The El Paso County Sheriff’s Department has disputed the allegations of racism at length. For more, 9News covered their press conference earlier this week. Paul mentioned the rally planned for this Friday at the Capitol in solidarity with the Mallerys and in support of the CAREN Act. It’s set to begin at 9 a.m.For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver by texting “Denver” to 66866Follow us on Twitter: @citycastdenverOr instagram: @citycastdenverChat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenverDo you have a Denver moment of joy you’d like to share? We want to share the good vibes. Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418‬Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise