My deep blue community created its own DIY 2024 Democratic Victory Campaign Center

There's lots of pent-up energy and enthusiasm in deep blue neighborhoods like my own – especially given what's at stake in this year's election.

But the Harris-Walz campaign has to focus on the swing states, so you have to travel some distance to attend a rally or even find a campaign office. Of course, there are numerous opportunities to phone bank or write postcards from home or sign up for bus trips to canvass.

But on Manhattan's Upper West Side we're resourceful. And thanks to our two local clubs, Three Parks Independent Democrats and Broadway Democrats, we have our very own Do It Yourself 2024 Democratic Victory Campaign Center.

What's even more remarkable is that it's all-volunteer and entirely self-funded. The storefront office doesn't have any paid staff and hasn't cost the Harris-Walz campaign a penny. It's not even officially part of the national campaign.

And it's been operating full-tilt six days a week from noon to 8 p.m. Both Democratic clubs make it a point to be active year-round, but for the past two decades they've pooled together to open a storefront office for the presidential election.

Steve Max, a Three Parks board member, said: "We do it in a very visible way ... and not have people feel that all they can do is sit at home and seethe about the situation. It gives people a place where they can actually come."

"There are lots of places that people can participate in individually. There are all kinds of websites where you can get a list of phone calls to make and sit at home alone doing it, but our whole philosophy is trying to get people to come here and do things together."

And I can say from my own perspective as a volunteer at the center, it's been a relief mentally to get out into the community and do something with like-minded people rather than sit at home and brood over the latest poll results or what was the latest outrage du jour from the Trump-Vance campaign.

Since the storefront office opened on Sept. 10, more than 200 people have volunteered to phone bank, participate in weekend canvassing bus trips and write postcards, Max said. The canvassing buses were organized by the office and departed from the storefront itself.

And on a daily basis, volunteers have been operating tables in front of the storefront and at several sites around the neighborhood. The two clubs' territory covers Manhattan's West Side from 96th to 125th St.

At the tables, people recruited volunteers, provided information about voter registration and collected donations for merch – T-shirts, hats, window signs, and a vast assortment of campaign buttons.

Volunteers at the tables also urged voters to support Proposition 1 (also known as the Equal Rights Amendment), a constitutional amendment that would ban discrimination on reproductive healthcare and other categories such as sexual orientation, national origin and age. It takes 60 percent of the vote to approve a constitutional amendment.

And it was largely through donations from button sales that the center was able to raise about $60,000 to make the operation self-sustaining.

The center purchased the buttons on its own and even had some custom-designed. So there were buttons reading Upper Westsiders for Harris-Walz with photos of Zabar's deli, the Metro Diner, and the No. 1 Broadway line subway train. And one of the most popular buttons read " , La."

And here's what our DIY office was able to get done. There was regular phone banking for the national ticket to voters in swing states (with Pennsylvania on tap again for Election Eve) and for Sen. Jon Tester in Montana.

But a main focus was also on key congressional races in swing districts that Democrats need to win to regain control of the House.

Phone banking, postcards and/or canvassing was organized on behalf of Democrats Pat Ryan (NY-CD 18), Josh Riley (NY-CD 19), Laura Gillen (NY-CD 4), Tom Suozzi (NY-CD 30, and Susan Wild (PA-CD 7).

"It's been a real community effort," said Max. And he added that the national Harris-Walz campaign probably "doesn't know that we exist."

It's just another sign of the grassroots enthusiasm for the Harris-Walz campaign as Election Day approaches.

Contacts:

Three Parks Independent Democrats: www.threeparksdems.org

Broadway Democrats: www.broadwaydemocrats.org