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

MIAMI – Crayons, candy, a children’s toothbrush and a coloring book were not what Latarcia Brown had in mind when he stood in line at Diddy’s event on Tuesday.

The grandmother, who lives with her parents in Overtown, Miami, said she arrived early for the draw event because she knew they were going to distribute help.

The gift bag, she said, was a disappointment.

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

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

Social detachment was out the window when the New York-born rapper started handing out $ 50 bills to the crowd. He did not wear a face mask. He wore a face shield and gloves.

Diddy’s visit to the historic neighborhood made headlines across the country after the 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.

Its foundation gave 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 are in desperate 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.