One of Cincinnati's most racially and economically diverse neighborhoods, Northside has seen an influx of gays and lesbians in recent years, many of whom have bought older, dilapidated homes and renovated them.

Also, several gay-owned shops and bars are mainstays of Northside's business district.

During the past few months, however, graffiti containing anti-gay slurs has begun appearing on the sides of some buildings and on benches in high-profile areas.

The graffiti has included slogans like "boycott gay shops" and "boycott fags."

"This has become a serious problem," said Tori Houlihan, a neighborhood resident. "We take pride in our diversity here. These messages stand as billboards for intolerance and bias."

More troubling to some residents is that although officials enacted a citywide crackdown on graffiti in 2002, requiring city crews to remove the markings within a few days of receiving a complaint, some of the graffiti in Northside has remained untouched for up to two months.

Neighborhood leaders have appealed to City Council for help.

"It sends a message to the general public that Northside is a place where you can come to express your bigotry, your hatred and your prejudice," said Stephanie Sunderland of the Northside Community Council.

Some City Council members are promising quicker removal in the future.

The city should give first priority to removing graffiti that targets any one group based on ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation, said City Council Member Christopher Smitherman.

"Anything that is anti-people like that, we need to be very, very aggressive and find a way to prioritize that," Smitherman said.

City Council Member David Pepper, who heads the group's law committee, described such graffiti as having "a broader impact on the community" beyond being merely unsightly.

Urban planning studies show that graffiti is less likely to recur if removed within about the first 48 hours of its appearance, he said.

City Council Member Pat DeWine, who pushed for the city's graffiti removal initiative almost two years ago, is concerned that all types of graffiti are remaining in place too long.

DeWine's proposal -- which was approved by Council -- reduced the number of notices given to a property owner letting them know about graffiti, and slashed the time before the city can take action from about three weeks to five days.

Despite the changes, constituents tell DeWine that graffiti remains in place for weeks or months after complaints are made.

"This is unacceptable," DeWine said. "We need to be vigorous in enforcing these quality of life issues and have a zero tolerance policy. Ignoring this type of offenses creates a climate where more serious crime can flourish."

Some business owners and gay activists say police are ignoring persistent problems with muggings and car break-ins outside downtown's gay bars, and don't take the matter seriously.

Cincinnati isn't alone in dealing with crime targeting gays.

The FBI and Newport police have launched a hate crime investigation to determine who sent a swastika-emblazoned anonymous letter filled with death threats to a gay Newport bar owner two weeks ago.

The letter made a series of threats against homosexuals, prostitutes, "drug addicts and drunks," and warned Crazy Fox Saloon owner Carl Fox that he was being watched and needed "to be exterminated and burned."