PE Profits from Destroying the Atlanta Forest

The report details how private equity firms Roark Capital and Silver Lake Management profit from projects in Atlanta that threaten the South River Forest. It highlights the role of the Atlanta Police Foundation in facilitating 'Cop City' and the use of Motorola Solutions' surveillance technology. The document also connects these local events to global trends of private equity investment in extractive industries and the subsequent suppression of environmental activists.

• Private equity firms Roark Capital and Silver Lake Management are linked to the destruction of the South River Forest in Atlanta. Roark Capital owns Inspire Brands, whose CEO sits on the board of the Atlanta Police Foundation (APF), which is collaborating with the city to build 'Cop City,' a $90 million training facility on 85 acres of forest. Silver Lake Management has invested in Motorola Solutions, which provides surveillance tools to the Atlanta Police Department (APD), and Shadowbox Studios (formerly Blackhall Studios), which proposed a land swap to demolish 40 acres of protected forest for sound stages.
• The Atlanta Police Foundation (APF) serves as a private channel to increase police capacity and surveillance without public oversight. The APF has funded hiring incentives for the APD and supports 'Operation Shield,' a surveillance program implemented by Motorola Solutions that has made Atlanta the US city with the most cameras per capita, surpassing 12,800 cameras.
• The South River Forest is ecologically critical as one of Atlanta's 'green lungs,' providing cleaner air, water, and cooling effects. However, the area is under threat from deforestation and environmental racism; the South River was ranked as the fourth most endangered river in the US in 2021 and 2022 due to outdated sewage systems in predominantly Black neighborhoods.
• The site proposed for Cop City has a history of human rights abuses as the Atlanta Prison Farm. From the 1930s to the 1990s, the farm was characterized by forced labor, overcrowding, lack of sanitation, and routine sexual violence against Black women. A 1982 ACLU lawsuit cited 'illegal and unconstitutional punishments such as leg irons and excessive time in solitary confinement.'
• The opposition to the Cop City project led to the death of 26-year-old activist Tortuguita on January 18, 2023, marking the first time an environmental activist was killed by police in the United States. Other activists have been charged with domestic terrorism for their protests.
• The report identifies a global pattern where private equity firms invest in projects that lead to the suppression of indigenous and environmental defenders. Examples include KKR's majority stake in the Coastal GasLink Pipeline in British Columbia, which faces resistance from the Wet’suwet’en Nation, and Blackstone's nearly $2 billion stake in Energy Transfer Partners, the owner of the Dakota Access Pipeline.

APA

Agbebiyi, K., Creeks, A., & Mendoza, A. (n.d.). PE Profits from Destroying the Atlanta Forest. Private Equity Stakeholder Project. https://pestakeholder.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/PE-Profits-from-Destroying-the-Atlanta-Forest_March_2023.pdf

Chicago

Agbebiyi, K, Azani Creeks, and Amanda Mendoza. PE Profits from Destroying the Atlanta Forest. Private Equity Stakeholder Project, n.d. https://pestakeholder.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/PE-Profits-from-Destroying-the-Atlanta-Forest_March_2023.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Agbebiyi |first1=K |last2=Creeks |first2=Azani |last3=Mendoza |first3=Amanda |title=PE Profits from Destroying the Atlanta Forest |publisher=Private Equity Stakeholder Project |url=https://pestakeholder.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/PE-Profits-from-Destroying-the-Atlanta-Forest_March_2023.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{agbebiyindprofits, author = {Agbebiyi, K and Creeks, Azani and Mendoza, Amanda}, title = {{PE Profits from Destroying the Atlanta Forest}}, institution = {Private Equity Stakeholder Project}, url = {https://pestakeholder.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/PE-Profits-from-Destroying-the-Atlanta-Forest_March_2023.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }