LAWRENCE, Mass. — With spring coming and danger lurking underneath the snow in public parks, Lawrence resident Debo Brown, bolstered by a growing army of volunteers, is taking action.

For the past two weekends, Brown and volunteers removed and disposed of hundreds of hypodermic needles left on public fields the small city of Lawrence, about 30 miles north of Boston. Similar cleanups are planned for at least the next month, he said.

Brown, a local Facebook Live video personality, posted pictures and video of the pile of dirty needles the group was able to collect on his public page, “The Debo Show.”

He acknowledged the region remains in the grip of an opioid epidemic, which fuels illegal drug use in the city.

“But for me, the biggest nightmare would be a kid stepping on one of these needles,” said Brown, a city native and 1999 Lawrence High School graduate.

“We’ve got to do something and we’ve got to do it now. I care about my ‘hood,” he said, noting that come spring more kids will be playing outside and walking their dogs in the area,” Brown said.

Opioid use in Massachusetts is almost twice the national average, and Lawrence alone saw 18.6 opioid related deaths per 100,000 people in 2015. The national average was about 10 per 100,0000 deaths, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Brown, 35, said he was initially going to meet with city councilors and try to get backing and funding for the dirty needle pick-up project. But he said discussion and possible approval for this project could take up to three months. He wasn’t interested in the red tape.

“So we said, ‘We are going to do it ourselves,’” he explained.

Recently, he had help from 25 volunteers. He’s hoping to see that number grow each weekend going forward.

The group received donations of protective Latex gloves and sharps containers — medical waste receptacles used to dispose of the needles — from Lawrence General Hospital, Lawrence police and private citizens, he said.

“We want to take the city back to the Lawrence we grew up in,” he said.

He stressed that he has no plans to run for local political office. He’s just a concerned citizen, he said.

“We can take two hours on a Saturday to reduce the chances of a kid falling on or sliding on a needle,” he said.

Mayor Daniel Rivera said he supports Brown’s efforts and plans to volunteer himself in the near future.

On Saturday, when volunteers met, Rivera said he was unable to attend. However, he sent a gift card to purchase lunch for the group and said he plans to provide lunch and refreshments for volunteers in coming weeks.

“And when I can do it, I’ll be there, too,” Rivera said.

Harmacinski writes for the North Andover, Massachusetts Eagle Tribune.