CINCINNATI — When Nathan Hess walks through the CUF neighborhood, he said he can't walk far before seeing graffiti spray-painted across businesses and homes. He said those sights are far too common.
"It's only exploded and gotten worse," Hess said.
Hess said back in February, he began noticing the problem. That's when he said he reached out to the city manager's office, hoping someone would come fix it.
He said he did get a response, which said his concerns were being forwarded to the Department of Buildings and Inspections. However, after six months, he said nothing's changed.
WATCH: Hess points out some of the graffiti in the CUF neighborhood in the video below
"When houses look like this, and nothing gets done, I think it encourages crime," Hess said. "If no one cares about this building, then they're gonna throw their trash on the sidewalk and not care about it."
Hess said now he isn't sure what to do.
"I keep asking, and I still don't have an answer for what is the city's process? What do they do when residents report or complain about graffiti?" Hess said.
WCPO 9 News took his question to the city manager's office.
A spokesperson responded, saying that the city passed an ordinance last year to improve its ability to address graffiti on private property.
She said people can submit customer service requests, or CSRs, by calling 311 or on the 311 app.
As of the end of July, the spokesperson said 71 of the 135 CSRs that the city received were closed or abated, including some in the CUF neighborhood.
However, Hess said he did that months ago, and he said he feels there's a lot more work to be done.
"It's very frustrating as a taxpayer that I don't see our neighborhood getting the same kind of care as some of the other neighborhoods in the city," said Hess.
