In the earlier days of the American Mob (1960s) mob gangs would take over local businesses and demand a percentage of the profits in exchange for

"protection", which really meant that they would leave the business owners alone. If the businesses didn't pay up though they would cause trouble by violence and damage. So my question is, what is keeping me from forming a gang and doing this same thing here in 2018? What would stop us? How did they get away with it back then?