Kankakee Times

On Oct. 22 at noon, the “We the People of Manteno” parade brought the community together in a show of unity against the proposed lithium ion car battery plant planned for the old KMart location in Manteno.

The parade, which featured a mix of participants walking from KMart to the Legion, as well as motor vehicles following behind, allowed people to join in the festivities from various points along the route.

“We the People of Manteno march and fundraiser which took place today at noon from the old K-mart warehouse to the Legion in Manteno,” Outrage of Kankakee County said on Facebook.

“Concerned Citizens of Manteno, nfp was formed in opposition to the Chinese Communist Party Gotion auto battery plant. They are represented by Eckland and Blando law firm which also represents the people fighting the same plant in Michigan and a group that fought and stopped another Chinese Communist Party owned plant in North Dakota.”

“Call Annette LaMore 815-325-9481 for more information on how you can donate to fund the coming legal battle against the Chinese Communist Party Gotion or help.”

“$8,000,000,000 plus of your tax dollars has been given away by the Federal government, Governor Pritzker, Manteno Mob Mayor Tim Nugent and Kankakee County Board Judas Republican Chairman Andy Wheeler along with his minion county board members.”

“While you will be taxed to pay for major fire department expansions in the Manteno, Bradley, Bourbonnais and Kankakee area.”

“You will also be paying for multi-million-dollar new school buildings, road expansions and salary and pensions for hundreds of new teachers and administrators while the Chinese Communist Gotion gets a 30-year property tax cap resulting in them paying very little towards the tax burden they are putting on the local community, not only Manteno but Bradley, Bourbonnais and the Kankakee area.”

“Not to mention the human health risk to Manteno residents that a lithium battery plant poses and the hundreds of trucks carrying all the chemicals that will be needed daily.”

The “We the People of Manteno” Parade emphasized the strength of the community when it stands together.

The event extended beyond the parade route, as refreshments were available at the Legion. Attendees had the opportunity to participate in a raffle and the exciting 50/50 draw, adding an element of anticipation and fun to the day’s activities.

“Thank you, everyone for such great support during the walk today. A big THANK YOU to all who donated the raffle baskets. Everything was a huge success today. All winners of the baskets have been notified,” Dolly Tomczuk said on Facebook.

The Gotion controversy involves the Chinese company’s plans to receive $8 billion in taxpayer subsidies for a $2 billion battery factory in Manteno, which has raised concerns among residents and lawmakers, according to Wirepoints.

The citizens of Manteno, along with concerned Michigan and North Dakota residents, where other similar Gotion battery plants have been planned, and a U.S. House committee, are questioning the substantial taxpayer funding granted to a company with ties to the Chinese Communist Party.

The planned Manteno Gotion plant was noted in a letter written by U.S. Senator Marco Rubio and U.S. Representative John Moolenaar calling for a Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) review of Gotion, Inc. due to its CCP ties and potential access to green-energy tax breaks.

They expressed concerns about the extent of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) control over Gotion and its impact on critical infrastructure decisions in the U.S., particularly within the state of Illinois.

“The extent of the CCP’s control over Guoxuan (Gotion) is explicitly mentioned in the company’s corporate by-laws, which require the company ‘to carry out Party activities in accordance with the Constitution of the [Chinese Communist Party],’” the letter reads.

“In 2021, Guoxuan High-Tech hosted several company retreats where employees were mandated to recite a pledge of loyalty to the Party, including to ‘fight for communism.’ This is concerning, no less because the Biden Administration itself has described the PRC in its 2022 National Security Strategy as the 'only competitor with both the intent to reshape the international order and, increasingly, the economic, diplomatic, military, and technological power to do it,' and that ‘Beijing frequently uses its economic power to coerce countries.’ The CCP’s control over Guoxuan High-Tech is no exception to the Party’s strategy to exert its influence in the United States.”