PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Residents in Southwest Philadelphia say raccoon infestations have plagued their block for years, and they are urging the city to address what they describe as unsafe and deteriorating properties that attract the animals.

Steffond Douglas, who lives on the 7300 block of Dicks Avenue, said he recently heard a neighbor yelling for help.

"I hear one of my neighbors, they're yelling and screaming, and I hear her say, 'raccoons,'" Douglas recalled.

Douglas has lived on the block for more than a year, but his neighbors, including Latrice Brooks, say the problem goes back much further.

"Nobody is listening to us; it's always an issue. They literally are tearing up our properties," Brooks said.

Douglas said he hired a wildlife specialist, who pointed out a large opening

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