Volunteer 'Polson Avengers' patrol Vernon, B.C. park

When Vernon, B.C. resident Kai Eli learned than an 11-year-old boy was afraid to go into a city park, he knew he had to do something.

The boy wrote a letter to the local newspaper, expressing his fear of venturing into Polson Park because people were using drugs in secluded areas. The letter struck a chord with Eli because he played there a child.

He said he felt the boy was being deprived of the great experiences he had there as a boy.

After reading the boy's letter, Eli, 25, formed a volunteer clean-up group with a name lifted straight from a comic book.

The Polson Avengers are a non-profit organization — armed with needle disposal containers, garbage bags and protective gloves — who patrol the park and collect dangerous refuse such as discarded needles.

Since the group's inception on April 12, the Avengers have been working in the park everyday to make it feel safer, a task Eli says is no small thing.

"There's everything from dug out holes as washrooms ... I found floating intravenous needles in the water," said Eli.

Eli said in recent years the park has become a gathering place for intravenous drug users, and people have reported discarded paraphernalia such as crack pipes and syringes.

He said Vernon residents have thanked the group for making the park feel more secure. He plans to throw barbecue events to attract former patrons.

The Polson Avengers have grown, and now have 12 members, ranging in age from 17 to late 40s.

The operation has not been without its difficulties. At night, some people at the park have been rude to group members, and two Avengers have had their bikes stolen, said Eli.

"We are actively trying to ask them to clean up after themselves. We're speaking to the people who do heroin and asking them not to bring it into the park," he said.

Recently, a Kelowna-based company has agreed to sponsor the Avengers and is creating uniforms for them.

Eli stressed that the existence of the Avengers is not a criticism of the City of Vernon.

He said his next step is to approach the city and ask for funding to set up clandestine needle disposal boxes around the park and possibly get the Avengers outfitted with walkie-talkies. 

So far, the group has only been funded by Eli himself and through charitable donations from his friends. The Avengers intend to patrol the park throughout the summer.

With files from Daybreak South