The group commonly referred to as 764 is not a rumor, a myth, or an exaggerated internet legend. It is a real and dangerous online network associated with coercion, exploitation, psychological abuse, and extreme violence, often targeting minors and vulnerable individuals. Awareness is critical because this group thrives in secrecy, fear, and ignorance.
What 764 Is
764 is a decentralized extremist network that operates primarily online. It does not function like a traditional organization with leadership rosters or public membership. Instead, it exists as a loose web of individuals connected through encrypted platforms, gaming chats, fringe forums, and social media messaging systems. The lack of a central structure makes it harder to dismantle and easier for it to regenerate under new names.
Core Tactics and Methods
The primary weapon of 764 is psychological manipulation. Members seek out individuals who are isolated, struggling emotionally, or seeking belonging. Initial contact often appears harmless through supportive conversation, shared interests, or validation. Over time, this escalates into coercion, humiliation, blackmail, and forced compliance.
Victims may be pressured into producing self-harm content, degrading material, or acts meant to strip them of dignity and autonomy. Control is maintained through fear, shame, and threats of exposure. The goal is domination, not community.
Why 764 Is Especially Dangerous
What separates 764 from other online abuse networks is its embrace of nihilism and cruelty as ideology. There is no political or religious belief system at its core, only the pursuit of power over others. Violence, self-destruction, and suffering are treated as entertainment or proof of loyalty.
The group deliberately normalizes extreme behavior, pushing targets step by step until boundaries are erased. This gradual escalation makes it difficult for victims to recognize the danger until they are deeply trapped.
Targeting and Recruitment
Minors are at particularly high risk, especially those active in online gaming communities, private chat servers, or niche social spaces. However, adults are not immune. Anyone experiencing loneliness, identity confusion, grief, or mental health challenges can be targeted.
Recruitment is subtle. There are no mass invitations. Instead, individuals are selected, groomed, and isolated. The process is intentional and predatory.
Law Enforcement and Reality
764-related activity has been linked to real-world crimes, including severe abuse and fatalities. Law enforcement agencies treat the network as a serious threat, but the anonymous and encrypted nature of its operations makes intervention difficult. This places even greater responsibility on parents, educators, communities, and individuals to recognize warning signs early.
Warning Signs to Watch For
Sudden secrecy about online activity.
Withdrawal from friends or family.
Drastic changes in mood or behavior.
Fear tied to phones, messages, or specific online contacts.
Use of coded language, numbers, or symbols linked to coercive groups.
Expressions of worthlessness, guilt, or obligation to online figures.
What Can Be Done
Silence protects abusers. Open communication, digital awareness, and education are the strongest defenses. Victims need reassurance that they are not at fault and that help exists. If exploitation or coercion is suspected, it should be reported to appropriate authorities or child protection organizations immediately.
Final Warning
764 survives because it convinces its targets they are alone, powerless, and complicit. That is a lie. Exposure, connection, and truth dismantle its power. Awareness saves lives.
This is not internet drama. This is a real and present danger and it demands vigilance.
Soon you will be hunted just as you did our children.
The United States is under silent siege. Not from a single enemy, not from a sudden attack, but from a persistent wave of explosions, fires, chemical releases, train derailments, cyberattacks and critical infrastructure failures. Many Americans remain oblivious, overstimulated by endless media distractions such as sports, celebrity scandals and political fights while hazards accumulate quietly in the background.
Formosa Plastics Toxic Gas Release Point Comfort Texas
Even in 2020, fires and hazardous chemical releases showed how industrial facilities, pipelines and refineries could quickly create local disasters with lasting consequences.
2021 Cyber Threats and Facility Fires
Chemtool Fire Rockton Illinois multi-day chemical plant blaze
ConocoPhillips Hydrocarbon Fire Carlsbad New Mexico
Colonial Pipeline Ransomware Shutdown fuel disruption across the East Coast
Oldsmar Florida Water Treatment Hack critical infrastructure compromised
This year revealed that threats were no longer limited to physical accidents. Cyberattacks can shut down pipelines and utilities endangering millions.
2022 Infrastructure Sabotage and Chemical Hazards
Moore County North Carolina Substation Attack electricity intentionally disrupted
Keystone Pipeline Oil Spill one of the largest U.S. pipeline leaks
Suncor Refinery Fire Commerce City Colorado
Home Market Foods Chemical Release Norwood Massachusetts
Electric, water and chemical infrastructure vulnerabilities were becoming increasingly apparent with incidents involving both accidents and possible sabotage.
2023 Explosions, Rail Derailments and Refinery Fires
East Palestine Ohio Train Derailment hazardous materials released evacuations required
Bedford Industrial Explosion Ohio metal manufacturing blast multiple injuries
Marathon Refinery Fire Martinez California
Marathon Petroleum Louisiana Refinery Fire and Toxic Release
Kentucky Train Derailment sulfur cargo released
From rail transport to refineries, industrial fires and explosions disrupted communities and caused both environmental and public health hazards.
2024 Cyber Intrusions and Facility Fires
TS USA Explosion Chattanooga Tennessee chemical reaction at metal treatment plant killed a worker
BioLab Chemical Plant Fire Conyers Georgia
Multiple Water and Wastewater System Cyber Intrusions utilities compromised nationwide
American Water Cyberattack service disruption operational compromise
Eaton Wildfire caused by electrical transmission failures in California
Cyberattacks and infrastructure failures demonstrated that threats were both physical and digital and often invisible until disaster strikes.
2025 Industrial Catastrophe and High-Risk Facilities
Horizon Biofuels Explosion Fremont Nebraska multiple blasts resulting in fatalities
Austin Powder and U.S. Nitrogen Nitric Acid and Nitrogen Oxide Release McArthur Ohio
Shell Polymers Butadiene and Benzene Release Monaca Pennsylvania
US Steel Clairton Coke Works Explosion Pennsylvania fatalities and injuries
Accurate Energetic Systems Munitions Plant Explosion Bucksnort Tennessee obliterated production building sixteen dead emergency response and federal investigation ongoing
Chevron El Segundo Refinery Fire California
HF Sinclair Navajo Refinery Explosion and Fire New Mexico
Marathon Galveston Bay Refinery Fire Texas
From chemical manufacturing plants to munitions facilities, refineries, battery plants and critical water and electrical infrastructure, the hazards have become pervasive, systemic and deadly.
Patterns and Lessons
These events reveal key truths. Hazards span multiple sectors energy chemical industrial manufacturing rail transport munitions water and electrical utilities. Frequency is increasing severe incidents now occur multiple times per year often unnoticed nationally. Cyber threats exacerbate risks pipelines water systems and industrial controls can be disabled or manipulated remotely. Media overstimulation masks systemic risk Americans remain focused on distractions while infrastructure vulnerabilities silently accumulate.
The pattern is clear. These are not isolated events. They are warnings that U.S. industrial and infrastructure systems are increasingly exposed to accidents sabotage and cyber threats creating cascading risks that can strike anywhere.
According to: www.chicagocriminallawyer.com- Gang enhancement laws in Chicago carry significant legal consequences for individuals involved in crimes connected to gang activity. These laws impose strict penalties when a crime is committed with the intent to further gang-related objectives or when a defendant is found to be a gang member. Gang involvement is addressed through specific criminal statutes that treat some gang-related activities as standalone serious offenses or conspiracies, often resulting in elevated charges and severe penalties.
Many Chicago neighborhoods experience strong gang influence over specific blocks, housing projects, and street corridors, but that influence is rarely the same as full territorial governance or comprehensive control of all neighborhood life.
Gangs have territories wherein they control the drug sales, prostitution, etc…, but the average, law-abiding citizen wouldn’t even notice in most neighborhoods. It’s only in a few particularly impoverished neighborhoods, mostly on the South and West sides, that the gang presence is easily visible.
Here’s a cool Google Map that shows some of the gang territories:
Let me zoom in some:
That’s the Uptown neighborhood on the Northside. The red area is “Black P Stone” territory, according to this map at least. Blue is the Uptown Gangster Disciples, and the yellow is the Uptown Lawds. (I’m getting all of this info from the website I linked to up there.) According to that website, the GD’s and UL’s have had some friction lately, probably because they share a common border.
But most people living in those areas are blissfully unaware of that friction or which gang area they live in. It’s only important for other gang members, the police, and people who want to buy drugs, weapons, or sex. That’s just a small percentage of the population.
What “control” typically means in Chicago context
Street-level territoriality: gangs claim and defend specific blocks, corners, or apartment buildings as their turf, marking territory with graffiti, colors, and patrols. This is most visible in public space and street drug markets.
Economic control of illicit markets: gangs often control local drug distribution, prostitution networks, and illegal gambling in limited areas, extracting revenue and enforcing rules with violence or intimidation.
Social influence: gangs can shape who moves freely through an area, who gets recruited, and which businesses operate without interference. They may impose curfews for youth, regulate local disputes, or demand “protection” money from small businesses.
Coercive enforcement: violence, threats, and retaliatory shootings are used to maintain territorial boundaries and market control, affecting residents’ mobility and daily routines.
What gangs usually do not mean by “control”
Full municipal governance: gangs generally do not provide comprehensive public services (trash, water, schools) or formal administration. City government, police, schools, and nonprofits still operate, though their reach can be limited.
Uniform neighborhood dominance: neighborhoods are rarely monolithic. Control varies by block, time of day, and gang strength; many residents, community organizations, churches, and businesses actively resist gang dominance.
Permanent occupation: gang influence waxes and wanes with arrests, prosecutions, inter-gang conflict, development, and population shifts. Gangs adapt tactics; territories can change quickly.
Geography and scale
Concentrated hotspots: gang influence is strongest in a subset of Chicago’s South and West Side neighborhoods and in particular public housing developments and small commercial corridors.
Micro-territories: control often exists at micro geographic scales—single corners, public housing buildings, or stretches of a block—rather than entire official neighborhood boundaries.
Citywide presence, localized control: while organized groups operate across the city, their day-to-day control tends to be hyper-local.
Factors that strengthen or weaken gang control
Concentrated poverty and disinvestment increase susceptibility.
High vacancy rates, weak policing-community relations, and few economic opportunities amplify gang influence.
Community organizations, hostile enforcement strategies, focused prosecutions, redevelopment, and employment programs can reduce control or change its form.
Structural changes (gentrification, policing shifts, housing demolitions) can displace but also scatter gang activity rather than eliminate it.
Resident experience
Many residents live with intermittent enforcement, intimidation, and violence but also maintain normal daily life, socialize, work, and organize community responses.
Neighbors often rely on informal networks, block clubs, and local institutions to mitigate gang impacts.
Some residents report open fear on certain blocks; others say gangs are a background presence that does not fully define neighborhood life.
Policy implications and practical points
Effective interventions combine public safety (targeted policing, focused deterrence) with prevention (education, jobs, youth services), community investment, and housing stability.
Blanket descriptions of “gang-controlled neighborhoods” are misleading and can stigmatize communities, masking local resilience and residents’ efforts to reclaim space.
Data-driven, place-based strategies that respect residents’ perspectives produce better outcomes than solely suppression-focused approaches.
Examples and evidence (summary)
Academic and police studies show concentrated violence and drug markets cluster in specific micro-places; gang-related shootings are disproportionately located in small geographic areas.
Community case studies document both periods of strong gang influence over blocks and successful local resistance through community institutions and policing–community partnerships.
Conclusion Gangs in Chicago exercise real and sometimes intense control over certain streets, buildings, and illicit markets, shaping daily life for residents in those micro-areas. That influence is typically partial, localized, and changeable—not synonymous with total governance of entire neighborhoods.
The golden age of organized crime may seem like a thing of the past in this era of surveillance. Law enforcement officers have technology and profiling capabilities now that they never had in the past. But make no mistake: Gangs are alive and thriving. They’ve simply evolved with the times. And we’re not just talking about low-level street gangs, either. Complicated, cunning, and cryptic multinational gangs still control the underworld in our modern age.
While some manage to outmaneuver the law, others receive tacit support from governments. A few have become so deeply entrenched in society that they function as de facto governments. Today, we’ll shine a spotlight on ten of the most influential and formidable gangs. These groups have amassed significant wealth, boast large memberships, and operate on a global scale. Their power and influence are undeniable in the criminal underworld—and beyond.
In my opinion, I think the most powerful criminal organization in the world is the various Italian organized crime groups known as the Italian Mafia. These include Cosa Nostra, 'Ndrangheta, Camorra, Sacra Corona Unita, La Stidda, Mafia Capitale, Basilischi and more.
First of all, from all of the research I have done, the Cosa Nostra, 'Ndrangheta, Camorra, and Sacra Corona Unita make a combined $170-$180 billion per year. That is more than any other criminal organization that I have heard of. This would make them the 19th highest earning "company" in the world when compared to legitimate corporations. Remember, those are the 4 most powerful of the Italian groups, that figure does not include the other various groups. Money means power, they are able to buy vast amounts of weapons, vehicles, and whatever else they need for their operations. Not to mention, they can also buy many politicians and law enforcers.
Martyn V. Halm (Combat Pragmatist) cited a 2014 article in Fortune which is factually incorrect, their "estimates" are way off when it comes to the annual revenue of these organizations. In the article, it claims the 'Ndrangheta makes $4.5 billion/year, this is not the case, as they make $72 billion/year according to various European and American law enforcement agencies.
They are one of the largest criminal organizations in the world. Combined, they have around 300,000 members and associates spread across various countries. There is strength in numbers is a statement which is often true.
They are very widespread, they operate in many places such as North America, South America, Africa, Europe, Russia, and Australia. This gives them the advantage of having a global reach and being able to call on support/flee to anywhere in the world. This global support gives on-the-run mobsters places to hide, ability to call for help, and better business opportunities, as ethnically-similar crime groups often do business with each other because
a) They trust each other more
b) They often share a similar history
Alliances, Italian organized crime groups (OCGs) have been known to cooperate with each other on many occasions. Sure, many other criminal groups work together as well, but Italians seem to have the best relationship with each other and seem to have the most peace among themselves as opposed to other ethnic criminal groups. Sure, they fight, they are criminals, but they seem to fight the least among each other. This re-enforces the past two points I made, and is a huge advantage for them.
Money-making versatility, this also goes for other criminal organizations such as the Bratva (Russian Mafia) but being involved in a dozens of different criminal operations allows them to fall back on something if one operation goes awry. It also gives them an opportunity to increase and spread their power and influence in a given area. Such as Cosa Nostra controlling labor unions to control entire ports, and sometimes even entire industries.
Legitimate businesses. Again, other OCGs own legitimate businesses too, but Italian OCGs seem to be most heavily involved in legit businesses in comparison to other groups. As I mentioned above, they are involved in unions, they own construction companies, various restaurants, they own real estate ('Ndrangheta owns almost entire neighborhoods in Germany and Brussels as a form of investment.)
To recap:
1.Italian OCGs make the most money.
2. Italian OCGs are larger in numbers.
3. They are one of the most, if not the most widespread.
4. Great internal relationships.
5. Money-making versatility.
6. Involvement in legitimate enterprises.
Time for some counterarguments (I am going to name a powerful global OCG that others may have mentioned but I will explain why I believe they are not as powerful as the Italian OCGs globally)
Russian Mafia (Bratva): You could say that they traffic nuclear weapons, but this is simply a different money-making opportunity. They are not going to actually use them, as this would bring down heat from every law enforcement agency within 2000 miles of them. You could say they have submarines, but Italian groups have submarines bringing drugs from Colombia and Mexico as well. Italian OCGs (Camorra in this case) also find sunken WWII ships and retrieve weapons and bombs from them.
Mexican Drug Cartels:
You could say that they control a large part of the world's drug trade, they do, but they are not nearly as wide spread as other groups such as the Italian or Russian OCGs. They are mainly in Mexico and the US, they also operate in Canada, but not as heavily as in the US. They send over drugs to Europe but it is then controlled by Italian OCGs. ('Ndrangheta controls 80% of Europe's cocaine, and that is 1 of many Italian OCGs.) The Mexican cartels also make less money from their businesses than Italian OCGs do, cartels make around $40-$60 billion/year. Which isn't shabby, but it doesn't match up against $170-$180 billion/year. They are not as widespread, either. They do have people operating in other countries, but they are usually under the control of other criminal groups, and are their mainly to assist in the reception of drugs or they are on the run there. Most likely and most often the former.
Yakuza: I saw a few people mention this. Lets start with the Fortune article. They say the Yakuza makes $80 billion/year. Whether this is true or not, it is hard to believe because of their mistake on the annual revenue of the 'Ndrangheta (they were off by $67.5 billion.) They also claimed that the Camorra makes more than the 'Ndrangheta, which it doesn't. While I have heard from >1 sources that they make an annual revenue of $13 billion. That is a lot, but not enough to compare to the Italian OCGs. I have seen $80 billion/year on other websites, but they are referring to what the Fortune article said, or they cited it. The Yakuza is not as large as the Italian groups, the Yakuza have an estimated 100,000-120,000 members across the world, most of them being in Japan. This does not compare with nearly 300,000 that the Italian OCGs have. The Yakuza are not as widespread as well. They operate mainly in Japan, Asia, and North America. That is only 2 continents, maybe another country on a 3rd continent. But the Italian OCGs operate on basically every continent except Antarctica.
While the above groups are powerful, they are not as powerful (on a global scale) as the Italian OCGs. Feel free to contest my opinions in a comment.
The Italian Mafia.is still strong. They just changed their way of doing business. They're not as strong as they once were, but then again, who is? They had more power than the US President. No one in this day and age will ever come remotely close to being that powerful. So the next time you hear someone say the Italians are finished, tell them they're either naive or clueless. They still have a stranglehold on much of the criminal underworld, believe it or not.
Camorra. The Camorra mafia is a centuries-old organization predating the nation of Italy itself. Today, it holds sway over the city of Naples. Known as “the system” to locals, it commands such authority that Neapolitans rarely testify against it in court. In turn, they treat it almost like the government. In addition to providing employment, the gang offers protection and exerts control over the city through debt. In effect, it dominates the lives of countless residents. And since it has for centuries, there is little momentum to change that.
Comprising 100 self-governing clans and approximately 10,000 immediate associates, the Camorra boasts an extensive network of dependent clients and allies. Its work goes far beyond just the city of Naples, though. Its combined operations in black market business, drug dealing, and trafficking span the Americas and Europe. In total, they generated an estimated annual revenue of $4.9 billion in 2014 alone.
Contrary to popular belief, the Camorra remains firmly in control of Naples today. And it shows no signs of slowing down, outpacing the rise of rival gangs even now. Notably, it operates drug bazaars known as “piazzas.” These are heavily fortified apartment complexes equipped with numerous lookouts. Inside, they contain an intricate underground system for drug and money exchanges. In that way, police raids are essentially futile. And thus, Camorra goes on existing like it always has—and like it probably always will.
Wo Shing Wo.
The Wo Shing Wo is a Chinese triad gang operating worldwide. It has experienced steady growth since the 1990s, coinciding with increased police attention. This organization has expanded its influence beyond Hong Kong to many other Asian and even Western cities. Recently, it has established a notable presence in San Francisco. Currently, the Wo Shing Wo boasts a membership exceeding 20,000 people worldwide. And all of them are willing to die for the gang’s access to illegal markets and ill-gotten money.
Primarily recognized for its involvement in illegal gambling, the Wo Shing Wo engages in a wide range of triad activities. These include drug trafficking, protection rackets, and extortion. They have even been known to engage in wildlife smuggling, fraud, counterfeiting, loansharking, cyber scams, and money laundering.
Interestingly, not all of their endeavors are unlawful. Triads also engage in legal ventures such as operating nightclubs, casinos, and bars. In some areas of the Far East, the Wo Shing Wo even works in movie production and distribution. Triads like this aim to address market gaps or provide services that the government fails to offer. But their illegal businesses bring black market sales, corruption, and brutal violence, too. The combination makes them deadly for those who get in their way and difficult for law enforcement to track.
