“There’s a pyramid in the cow pasture”

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In 1986, Niki Lopez lives with her family at 717 Bushwick Avenue, home to a secretive group called the Nuwaubian Nation in the heart of Brooklyn–alarmingly, in 1993, the whole community vanishes without a trace. Nearly ten years later, on May 8th, 2002, over 200 federal agents prepare to storm a seemingly “ancient Egyptian” compound in rural Putnam County, Georgia. Inside, nearly 200 families live under the control of Nuwaubian Nation leader, Dwight “Malachi” York. In order to get justice for all the victims before it’s too late, it’s up to Niki to escape, confront her past, and expose the truth behind one of the darkest cases in American history.

Niki founded her organization “What’s Your Elephant”, which aims to empower individuals from all walks of life to use the arts to tell their stories: https://whatsyourelephant.org/

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Written, directed & edited by Matthew Rice

Researched by Bianca Yzabelle Tan

Voiceover by William Akana

Produced by Alexandra Salois & Salim Sader

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Sources

The Nuwaubian Nation, How I Escaped My Cult: Freeform, 2025

United Nuwaubian Nation of Moors, People Magazine Investigates: Cults: MMXVIII Discovery Communications LLC, 2018

Nuwaubian Nation, FOX5 Eyewitness News, 1998

Waco: The Inside Story, Frontline PBS, 2018

Mysteries Behind Closed Doors: The Dr. Malachi Z. York Case (The Untold Story), ImperialSevens, 2012

Open House visits to the Nuwaubian compound Tama-Re, Jay Humphrey, 2024

Getty Images

Instagram, Niki Lopez

The Waco Massacre: 30 Years On | DARK SIDE OF THE 90'S, VICE TV, 2023

Local Artist Shares Her “Elephant” to Help Empower Women, NBC 6 South Florida, 2019

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