complex was replaced by the Piggly Wiggly complex at 40th & Portland Avenue, the building became a distribution center for the distribution of government commodities such as cheese, powdered milk, canned meat, flour, sugar, etc. More changes up into the 1990s included it becoming the Eastside Neighborhood Center and numerous other offices for community services. The conversion to low-income housing increased the minority population, a trend that continued throughout the years. It has also been an important "first home" for families immigrating to America. By 2000, for example, approximately half of the Salishan families were first-generation Americans. By 1955, one-third of Salishan's population consisted of people of color. A non-discrimination policy had long been in place by the Tacoma Housing Authority. As the immigrant and minority populations increased, so did poverty rates. Salishan increasingly became known as unsafe. With incomes only increasing modestly, crime rates in Salishan gradually rose over the next few decades. Salishan in the 1990s By the late 1980s, Salishan had become a center for gang activity and drug trading and was increasingly viewed as burdensome by residents of Tacoma. Residents of the areas around Salishan, which had always been more middle-class, complained that the neighborhood was negatively affecting property prices, crime rates, and perception of the rest of the lower east side. In 1990, Salishan reported 331 violent crimes, for a rate of nearly one per day, for a rate of approximately 5,517 violent crimes per 100,000 population relative to Tacoma's overall rate of 433 per 100,000. Increasing news coverage ensued, and the already strong calls for revitalization strengthened and broadened to include activists from Tacoma neighborhoods far away from Salishan. Community leaders organized youth activities and educational programs in hopes of reducing crime rates. These efforts were largely successful and encouraged external charitable investment in the Salishan area. By 1996, violent crime rates had dropped to approximately 2,883 per 100,000, a rate nearly half of that only six years ago. Although the rate remained several times that of Tacoma's overall rate, an increasing perception of a revitalized Salishan became popular. In 1996, Washington State University opened the Salishan Learning Center, where local students could earn credits toward a bachelor's degree. New Salishan By 2000, Salishan's revitalization was common knowledge. Its reputation as an unsafe neighborhood continued. By the time it was demolished, Salishan was a well-organized neighborhood of families who were very fond of it.