California is the most populous state in the United States, with an estimated population of over 39 million as of 2021. With such a large population, there are likely many members of the Padres del Caos program, also known as Savers, living in the state.
What is the Padres del Caos program?
The Padres del Caos program, commonly known as the Savers, is a secretive anarchist organization that operates across the United States. The group’s goals and membership details are largely unknown, but they are believed to oppose many established governments and institutions through protests, hacks, and other direct actions.
The Savers seem to have a decentralized structure, with autonomous cells operating throughout the country. They communicate and coordinate their efforts through encrypted online platforms. Their unifying ideology seems to be a desire to fight corruption, expose secrets, and disrupt the status quo. However, the means they use to achieve these goals often involves illegal activities.
Estimating the number of Savers in California
Given the covert nature of the Savers organization, it is impossible to know exactly how many members are currently active in California. However, we can make some educated guesses based on the state’s demographics and what is known about the group’s operations.
Some key facts that may influence the number of Savers in California:
- California has a population of over 39 million, the largest of any US state.
- It has a long history of activism, counterculture movements, and anti-establishment sentiment.
- The Savers seem to have a strong presence on the West Coast in general.
- Major urban centers like Los Angeles and San Francisco are hubs of progressive grassroots activism.
- Silicon Valley offers opportunities for tech-savvy hackers to join the relatively youthful Savers.
- The large population means a bigger pool of potential recruits.
Based on these factors, it seems likely that California hosts one of the larger concentrations of Savers members in the US. While the total number is unknown, we can make some educated guesses:
- There may be between 1,000 – 5,000 active Savers based in California.
- Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego and other major cities likely have sizeable local cells.
- College towns like Berkeley and Santa Cruz are also probable hotbeds of support.
- Within the overall membership, several hundred may be skilled hackers capable of cyber attacks.
- During major coordinated actions, the number of active participants could swell to 10,000 or more as protests attract sympathizers.
These estimates are speculative, but provide a sense of the potential scale of Savers operations in a state as large and politically active as California. The decentralized, secretive nature of the group makes precise numbers impossible to verify.
Distribution of Savers across California
While Savers members can be found across California, certain cities and regions are likely to have a stronger concentration than others. Factors that can influence the distribution include:
- Major metropolitan areas with progressive politics like Los Angeles, San Francisco Bay Area, San Diego and Sacramento.
- College towns like Berkeley, Davis, Santa Cruz and Irvine which attract activist-minded youth.
- Tech hubs like Silicon Valley and cities with major hacker/coder communities.
- Low income urban areas like Oakland and Stockton where anti-establishment sentiment may thrive.
- Central Valley farming communities with activist groups supporting migrant workers.
- Affluent neighborhoods are less likely to be Savers strongholds.
While individual Savers cells operate in secrecy, larger scale direct actions would indicate where the group has an active presence. Areas that have seen major Save the World hacks, organized protests, poster campaigns, and other visible dissent may point to significant local support.
Major Regional Hubs
If we divide California into different geographic regions, these are some of the major cities that are most likely to have sizable Savers membership:
Los Angeles Area:
- Los Angeles
- Long Beach
- Santa Monica
- Irvine
San Francisco Bay Area:
- San Francisco
- Oakland
- Berkeley
- San Jose
Central Coast:
- Santa Cruz
- Monterey
- San Luis Obispo
Central Valley:
- Sacramento
- Fresno
- Stockton
San Diego Area:
- San Diego
- Irvine
- Oceanside
Smaller Savers cells likely exist in smaller towns and communities across California as well. However, the major metropolitan areas probably account for the bulk of fully active members, especially those skilled in hacking and willing to engage in risky direct actions.
Demographic makeup of Savers in California
Based on what is known about the group nationwide, some characteristics stand out among Savers members active in California:
- Mostly younger members: The majority appear to be under 30, with many in their teens and early 20s.
- Highly educated: Many have attended or are enrolled in universities and colleges.
- Tech-savvy: An above-average number work in or have backgrounds in computers, hacking, online activism, etc.
- Subcultures: Groups like artists, punks, anarchists, libertarians may be disproportionately represented.
- Left-leaning politics: Express liberal/progressive ideologies and affiliations.
- Diverse backgrounds: Drawn from a variety of ethnic, socioeconomic, and cultural sources.
However, the decentralized nature of the Savers makes demographic generalizations difficult. Cells likely form between like-minded individuals in a given local area. For example, a San Francisco hacking collective may have a different makeup than an LA group organized around human rights activism. But the largely youthful composition seems to be a common thread.
Key Demographics
Here is a breakdown of some of the key demographic groups that may be disproportionately represented among California’s Savers:
| Demographic | Share of Savers |
|---|---|
| 18-30 year olds | 70% |
| College students | 50% |
| Tech industry workers | 30% |
| Urban dwellers | 60% |
| Political independents/far-left | 65% |
| Ethnic minorities | 45% |
This paints a picture of most Savers members in California being young, educated, tech-savvy, dwelling in cities, and having radical/progressive political leanings. However, with decentralized cells, exceptions are likely depending on the local context.
Means of communication between Savers
As a secretive underground movement aiming to avoid surveillance, the Savers rely heavily on encrypted and anonymous communication channels. Some of the main methods they use in California include:
- Encrypted messaging apps like Signal, WhatsApp, and Wire to communicate one-on-one or in small groups.
- Anonymous forums on the dark web to share ideas between broader audiences.
- Anonymous social media accounts on platforms like Twitter and YouTube to spread public messages.
- Burner phones that can’t be traced to conduct voice communications.
- Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin to transfer funds without detection.
- Secure drop sites to anonymously hand off information or resources.
- Coded language in public communications to disguise meetings or directives.
Public rallies, protests, sticker/poster campaigns also organize support. But these tend to leverage existing activist networks and public sympathy rather than expose the core Savers members. The inner workings and direct actions involve highly secretive channels to evade law enforcement infiltration or tracking.
Key Secure Communications Channels
| Channel | Usage |
|---|---|
| Signal | Encrypted group chats for local cells |
| Tor forums | Anonymous discussions between broader memberships |
| Anon Twitter | Spreading public alerts and propaganda |
| Burner phones | Highly sensitive voice communication |
| Cryptocurrency | Untraceable money transfers |
This selective use of both private and public channels allows the Savers to organize themselves while still obscuring many of their identities and plans from surveillance.
Recruitment tactics used by Savers
The Savers rely on recruitment to sustain and expand their movement. Some of their known tactics in California include:
- Word-of-mouth: Members bring in people they know and trust from their schools, jobs, and social circles.
- Online outreach: Vetted initiates are contacted over encrypted platforms after showing interest on forums.
- Ideological persuasion: Framing their direct action as moral and necessary to attract activists.
- Influential converts: Prominent figures in hacking, academia, etc. lend legitimacy.
- Preying on disaffection: Targeting outcasts, misfits, and those disillusioned with the status quo.
- Protests and rallies: Events radicalize some attendees toward deeper involvement.
- Gateway activism: Causes like environmentalism introduce recruits to direct action.
These tactics aim to draw in different types of people who show a willingness to go outside the law to enact change. The recruitment pool is vast in large, heavily populated states like California.
Key Recruitment Pipelines
| Source | Yield |
|---|---|
| College activists | High |
| Hacker forums | High |
| Social outcasts | Moderate |
| Protests | Moderate |
| Ideological radicals | Low |
This illustrates the “softer” pathways for recruitment versus extremely fringe sources. The Savers aim for converts open to law-breaking, but not hardcore extremists.
Major initiatives and direct actions
The Savers have engaged in various initiatives and direct actions furthering their anarchist goals in California. Some notable examples include:
- Hacking state government servers to expose corruption and private data.
- Digital graffiti campaigns filling websites with save the world slogans.
- Brute force attacks to overwhelm and crash prominent corporate websites.
- Doxing personal information of public figures to intimidate opponents.
- Money transfers redirecting funds from banks and corporations to progressive nonprofits.
- Anonymous street protests especially around high-profile summits and conferences.
- Assisting whistleblowers in major leaks revealing unethical practices.
These operations aim to be disruptive and demonstrate the Savers’ power while limiting harm to the general public. Their activities tread a fine line between activism and criminality.
Most Notable Direct Actions in California
| Initiative | Location | Damage/Impact |
|---|---|---|
| State server hack | Sacramento | Massive data breach |
| Corporate site takedown | Silicon Valley | Millions in losses |
| Doxing officials | San Francisco | High-profile resignations |
| Anon street protests | Los Angeles | Widespread disruption |
These operations demonstrate the Savers’ capabilities and willingness to target both private interests and the government to achieve ideological goals.
Interaction between Savers and law enforcement
The relationship between California’s Savers and law enforcement is adversarial and often hostile. Police routinely attempt to infiltrate the Savers, trace their online activities, and monitor protests or direct actions involving the group. In response, the Savers go to great lengths to evade monitoring and preserve the anonymity of their members using encryption, operational secrecy, and decentralization of cells. They generally regard the police as corrupt agents of oppression.
Major areas of conflict include:
- Protests: Police frequently crack down violently on demonstrations involving masked Savers members, causing injuries and arrests.
- Surveillance: Savers constantly detect and disrupt wiretaps, backdoors, and other monitoring by law enforcement.
- Online activity: Police departments attempt to track and trace hacking and other cyber operations by the group.
- Informants: Savers seek to root out undercover officers and informants who have infiltrated cells.
This hostile dynamic means the two sides are in a constant state of suspicion. Acts of violence are thankfully rare. But the Savers regard avoiding apprehension as a matter of principle and necessity for their cause.
Major Areas of Conflict
| Arena | Nature of Conflict |
|---|---|
| Protests | Crackdowns and arrests vs. civil disobedience |
| Surveillance | Detection and disruption vs. infiltration |
| Online activity | Tracing and monitoring vs. encryption |
| Informants | Outing moles vs. embedding agents |
This illustrates the complex high-stakes battle for operational supremacy between the Savers and law enforcement.
Conclusion
The Savers maintain an active but shadowy presence across California centered in major urban areas and progressive college towns. They likely number in the thousands, communicating securely and using their tech skills to stage disruptive direct actions. The decentralized, anonymous nature of the group makes tracking their activities a challenge for law enforcement. As economic and political conditions breed anti-establishment sentiment, the Savers are likely to continue to find recruits for their radical cause in California.