‘No gift card; no rent paid ‘at the Miami event

MIAMI – Colored pencils, candy, a children’s toothbrush, and a coloring book weren’t what Latarcia Brown thought when she lined up for hours at Diddy’s act on Tuesday.

The grandmother, who lives with her parents in Miami, Overtown, said she was early to the gift ceremony because she knew they were going to hand out help.

The gift bag, he said, was a disappointment.

“No gift card; no rent paid … The lady told me that if you have a gift bag, you have to go, ”Brown said.

Brown was unable to reach Sean “Diddy” Combs when he arrived at the House of Wings, a self-service restaurant on 1039 NW 3rd Ave., in Overtown. There was chaos, she said.

Social distancing came out the window when the New York-born rapper began handing out $ 50 bills to the crowd. He was not wearing a face mask. He wore a face shield and gloves.

Diddy’s visit to the historic district was nationwide news following an announcement that the California-based Sean Combs Foundation was covering the cost of a month’s rent for 175 families in Miami.

Michael Gardner of the Headliner Market Group and Miami-Dade Commissioner Keon Hardemon praised Diddy’s generosity. Most of the people who were there were very grateful.

His foundation awarded a grant to Teens Exercising Extraordinary Success, a nonprofit organization that has a program to help families during the pandemic.

Brown, who said she and her family needed great help during the pandemic, received a response to her complaint from the Wings House where she received a gift card Wednesday.