Indiana Man Seeking To Build ‘Melanated Community’ In Texas Under Investigation
Officials claim Dr. Malcolm Tanner is “attempting to overthrow the government.”
In 2023, Dr. Malcolm Tanner announced his intent to create a settlement for Black Americans in Texas. Now, state officials have issued a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) against the Indiana resident, claiming that Tanner is “attempting to overthrow the government.”
Tanner is the founder of Melanated People of Power. His plan to create a melanated community includes moving Black families to Loving County, Texas, with the promise of free homes, financial stipends, and ultimately political influence.
Tanner has purchased 5 acres of land in Loving County in an area with less than 100 residents. The land does not yet host any permanent homes; instead, it features RVs, tents, and generators.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sought a TRO to stop the development of the community.
According to the legal filings, the encampment is in direct violation of the state’s health code due to the “lack of sewer access, septic systems, running water, and limited electricity.”
Tanner responded in a message posted to his TikTok page, claiming that his endeavors are righteous and that the land is being unjustly stolen from the people.
“I came to Loving County with a simple vision: to build homes, to build community, and to live under the rights that faith grants and the Constitution protects,” Tanner wrote in a message he showed on the platform. “I believed, as every American has the right to believe, that land purchased lawfully could be used lawfully, that families could live in peace, and that children could grow in safety. Instead, what we built was destroyed. What we worked for was attacked.”
I, Dr. Malcolm Tanner, want the people of Texas and this country to know that I respect the authority of the Court and will fully comply with its orders. At the same time, I want the people of Loving County, of Texas, of America, and of the world to understand what is at stake here. We are living in a moment that will be remembered. It is not simply about one man or one family, or even about one piece of land. It is about whether the rights promised to us as Americans are real — or whether they can be trampled by intimidation, harassment, and fear. I came to Loving County with a simple vision: to build homes, to build community, and to live under the rights that faith grants and the Constitution protects. I believed, as every American has the right to believe, that land purchased lawfully could be used lawfully, that families could live in peace, and that children could grow in safety. Instead, what we built was destroyed. What we worked for was attacked. And still, we did not quit. For when the walls were torn down, we rebuilt them. When the doors were broken, we set them back on their hinges. We held on because this struggle is bigger than wood and nails. It is about whether freedom in America is protected for all people — Black or White, Christian or Jewish, rich or poor — or whether freedom is reserved only for the few who hold power. We do not stand here in defiance of the law. We stand here in defense of the law — the highest law, the law of liberty. Our Constitution was written so that families could not be driven out by threats, that homes could not be torn down by force, that people could not be silenced when they sought justice. I want the world to know: this land is more than dirt and stone. It is a test of America’s promise. Will the government protect the rights of its citizens, or will it allow harassment to crush them? Will we prove that the smallest populated county in Texas can still honor the largest principles of our Republic? I am not alone in this. Beside me stand women and children who deserve safety. Beside me stand families who believe in freedom. And beyond us stand millions of Americans — of every race, every faith, every background — who know that an attack on one person’s rights is an attack on the rights of us all. We are preserving every shred of evidence — every act of destruction, every trespass, every intimidation. It will be laid before the Court, and, if necessary, before the proper authorities, because justice must not only be sought — it must be proved. We will not answer hatred. We will not meet destruction. We will meet it with perseverance, with courage, and with the truth. And we will hold on until justice comes — for justice is the inheritance of every American. History will record this struggle. And when it does, let it be said that in Loving County, in the year 2025, when families were harassed and homes were destroyed, we did not bow, we did not run, and we did not give up. We stood. And by standing, we reminded the world that freedom in America is not granted by men, but strengthened by faith and secured by the Constitution. Dr. Malcolm Tanner #drmalcolmtanner
Due to multiple residents of the “melanated community” registering to vote using a common P.O. Box associated with the property; a voter fraud inquiry may be on the horizon.
On Oct. 3, two Texas state politicians, Senator Kevin Sparks and Rep. Brooks Landgraf, wrote an open letter urging the Texas Attorney General and the Secretary of State to look into Loving County voter irregularities.
“Indiana resident Malcolm Tanner has no right to try and take over Loving County with illegal schemes that endanger real Texans,” Paxton said in a press release. “His deceptive and unlawful scheme to lure people with free housing for the purpose of conducting a political takeover is a disgustingly fraudulent plot to line his own pockets.”
Tanner, who continues to encourage his social media followers to “join the movement” and never pay rent again, has defended his initiative as a form of self-empowerment and self-determined placemaking.
“We’re going to build y’all a home,” he said in a TikTok post. “If you’re ready to get a home with me out in Texas, come out to Loving County, Texas.”
