Before gentrification came into the East Village, the area was very run down. This neighborhood was meant for the poor and was considered the last place you would want to live in because of how bad of a neighborhood it was. The buildings did not have any maintenance and they were not cared for. The neighborhood had a very bad drug problem as there were many drug trades happening in the East Village. There were not any established authorities in this neighborhood so police were not involved in many of the crimes that were being done in the area. Aside from the drugs there were also many other issues going on such as gang activity, murders, and robberies. The area did not have many shops or places to buy things such as clothing, food, and supplies.