GREEN CHARTER TWP., Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Lori Brock, a real estate agent and horse breeder, has found herself at the center of a heated battle against the Gotion electric vehicle (EV) battery plant in Green Charter Township, Michigan.

What began as an alarming revelation of a Chinese-owned company’s plan to establish a facility near her Big Rapids farm has now escalated into a full-blown community resistance movement over time and her horse farm has become a popular venue for the anti-Gotion crowd to pushback against the megasite plans.

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On Wednesday, Brock’s Majestic Friesian Horse Farm became the stage for another Gotion protest, this time by about 150 people, organized at the behest of former U.S. Representative and Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers. Dubbed the “No Gotion Rally,” the event attracted locals and political figures alike, all united in their opposition to the plant.

Gotion opponents waved “No Go on Gotion signs” and American flags in front of John Deere tractors and even “Chip” the goat was spotted sporting a “Goat Home Gotion” blanket.

Horse farm becomes a frontline.

The rally, held at noon on Wednesday, was a show of strength and unity in the community against the Gotion plant. Republican senatorial candidate Mike Rogers posted a short video on X of himself at Brock’s horse farm talking about the government funded “Chinese Communist Party company” Gotion that he says is going to cost American jobs, make us less safe and is not good for the environment.

Brock kicked off the speeches for the day, talking about how her community has been in a fight that they didn’t ask for to preserve their way of life. She kicked off the event saying, “If you would have told me a few years ago that this little community would be on the front lines of a fight against a Chinese communist party, I would have never believed you. And yet here we are today and I am proud to say that we are still standing. The Chinese Communist Party-owned Gotion corporation attempted to force itself into our community under a shroud of secrecy, first using code names like ‘Project Elephant’ to conceal their true identity. In true communist fashion, they used deception and propaganda to convince politicians and economic development organizations that they are harmless and pose no threat.”

Brock went on to say, “They even lied about who truly owns the company until one day when a few of us locals started to ask questions and do a little research to reveal the company’s obligations to act in the interest of the Chinese Communist Party.”

Former ambassador and current Michigan GOP Chair Pete Hoekstra and Republican Congressman John Moolenaar were also on hand at the rally as was State Senator Lana Theis. Hoekstra said at the rally that he was honored to be a part of the fight saying, “There’s nothing better than seeing grassroots folks saving their community and telling the powers that be ‘this is our community and not yours!’”

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Rogers took to the stage and talked about how the Democrats lie saying, “I don’t think the Democrats or Gotion or my opponent could find the truth if it were stapled to their backside and we gave them an ‘ass map.’” He continued to say, “I’ve never seen something that divides a community like this in a way that is not good for America in so many ways.” He went on to discuss security concerns and other issues with the plant being in the Big Rapids area.

The Trump card: opposition from the top.

With $715 million in taxpayer incentives on the line, the stakes are high not only for Green Township but for the entire state of Michigan. The controversy has drawn attention from national leaders, with Trump and others warning of the potential consequences of allowing a CCP-linked company to establish such a foothold in the U.S.

The timing of the rally at the horse farm doesn’t seem to be a coincidence as only a day earlier former President Donald Trump made headlines with a forceful denunciation of the Gotion plant on his social media platform Truth Social.

In his post, Trump clarified that he is opposed to the project, countering earlier claims by Gotion that he had supported it. “The Gotion plant would be very bad for the State and our Country,” Trump declared. “It would put Michiganders under the thumb of the Chinese Communist Party in Beijing. I AM 100% OPPOSED!” His words resonated with many at the rally and in the Big Rapids community, who echoed concerns about the potential national security risks and other concerns.

Opposition to the opposition.

Across the road from the “No Gotion Rally” with a smaller crowd of a few dozen people were the pro- Gotion supporters, some holding up signs that read “Yes Gotion. Go for Jobs. Go Future.” The crowd included Gotion Vice President of North America Manufacturing Chuck Thelen who told a reporter with WOOD-TV, “We’re celebrating an opportunity like never been up in this area before…how do you bring economic independence to this area? You create jobs and that’s what we’re doing.”

He said that he hopes that construction can be started in the spring of next year but it’s dependent on lawsuits. He added that the company has no plans to spread communism, saying, “It’s silly to even have to say that. No, we don’t talk about politics in this company, ever.”

Thelen also told WZZM-13 that when he is asked why he brought Gotion to the community, he answers, “It’s because I love the community. And I had an opportunity to marry a good company with a good community and it was a no brainer to me. So I brought it here to help people I’ve never even met before.”

Jobs seemed to be on the minds of many who showed up to support Gotion. The company has promised more than 2,000 jobs at the facility and Gotion supporter Tracy Ruell who was across the street from the anti-Gotion rally said, “I think we need to get to the point in time where we start focusing on the project and making sure that it’s the most successful and the safest project that will benefit our community.”

What’s next?

On August 14th, Green Charter Township was blocked from obstructing Gotion Inc.’s $2.4 billion electric vehicle battery while the company’s lawsuit against the township plays out, a federal judge ruled.

U.S. District Judge Jane Beckering upheld a May-issued preliminary injunction, mandating that the Green Township Board honor the development agreement inked by the previous, now-recalled township board, despite the current board’s attempts to delay the project.

However, Hoekstra was adamant on Wednesday that the megasite was not going to be a reality. He promised the crowd, “We’re going to beat this. This plant is NOT going to be built.”