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

MIAMI – Crayons, candy, a kid’s toothbrush, and a coloring book were not what Latarcia Brown had in mind when she lined up for hours at Diddy’s event on Tuesday.

The grandmother, who lives with her parents in Miami’s Overtown, said she was early to the giveaway event because she heard they were going to distribute aid.

The gift bag, she said, was a disappointment.

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

Brown couldn’t reach Sean “Diddy” Combs when he arrived at the House of Wings, a counter-serve restaurant at 1039 NW 3rd Ave., in Overtown. There was chaos, she said.

Social distancing went out the window when the New York City-born rapper started to hand out $50 bills to the crowd. He didn’t wear a face mask. He wore a face shield and gloves.

Diddy’s visit to the historic neighborhood made nationwide headlines after an announcement that the California-based Sean Combs Foundation was covering the cost of one month’s rent for 175 families in Miami.

Michael Gardner, of the Headliner Market Group, and Miami-Dade Commissioner Keon Hardemon both praised Diddy’s generosity. The majority of the people who were there were very appreciative.

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

Brown, who said she and her family are in dire need of help during the pandemic, received a response to her complaint from the House of Wings where she received a gift card on Wednesday.