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Miami Herald
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
Gary Puckett sings on at 82: ‘In 1968, we sold more singles than the Beatles'
SAN DIEGO - Scoring in academia or on the Top 40? Striving for pop stardom or learning psychoanalytic therapy? The Union Gap or the synaptic gap? When Gary Puckett moved to San Diego in 1960 - seven years before he and his band scored their first hit single with "Woman Woman" - it was to enroll at City College, not to pursue music. Fate had other things in store for him. "I was into psychology and thought about maybe getting a medical degree," recalled Puckett, who spent two years at City College but couldn't afford the tuition to attend SDSU or UC San Diego. "I was tired of school and truly more interested in music, so I started playing in small bands." And not so small bands. The Ravens, his first San Diego group of note, was an 11-piece ensemble with a brass section and backing singers. In 1964 Puckett became the lead singer in the Outcasts, a four-man band that performed frequently at the Quad Room in Clairemont. They released two singles, "Runaway" and "I Can't Get Through To You," which gained local radio airplay. His next band, Gary and the Remarkables, soon morphed into Gary Puckett & The Union Gap. With his soaring - at times almost operatic vocals - at the fore, the vintage military uniform-clad group scored a slew of hit singles between 1967 and 1969, including "Woman, Woman," "Young Girl," "Lady Willpower," "Over You" and "This Girl Is A Woman Now." "In 1968, we sold more singles - not albums - than the Beatles. We sold more singles than anyone, so that's a little badge of honor," said Puckett, now 82, speaking from his Florida home in the coastal city of Clearwater. Those hit singles will be featured when Puckett performs as part of the 2025 Happy Together Tour. The lineup also features Little Anthony and the current iterations of the Turtles, the Cowsills, Jay and the Americans, and the Vogues. While his appearance is billed as Gary Puckett & The Union Gap, he acknowledged that he will be accompanied by the same four-man house band that backs all the Happy Together Tour acts. A Minnesota native, Puckett shares the same hometown as Bob Dylan, whose song, "The Mighty Quinn," was covered with brassy verve on The Union Gap's second album. The title of another Dylan song, "Changing of the Guards," best conveys what happened to Puckett and the members of the Union Gap, which disbanded in 1971, two years after the singer signed a solo recording deal with Columbia Records. 'Some slim times' His 1971 release, "The Gary Puckett Album," fared so poorly it didn't even make it onto the bottom of the national Billboard Top 200. After selling millions of records, touring the nation and appearing multiple times on some of the most-watched TV shows of the time with The Union Gap, Puckett's career in music evaporated almost overnight. "People were moving on and people in my generation were having families," Puckett said. "The new generation was paying attention to David Bowie and T. Rex. Radio wouldn't play our music. I found myself going through some slim times. "I studied acting and made a film in the Philippines, 'Dynamite,' that didn't succeed. You will never find it. It was about a band that was successful because of the death of one of its members …." After he completed filming, Puckett returned for a few years to Los Angeles where he had moved in the late 1960s. He came back to San Diego in 1978 and began playing in a duo with guitarist Paul Martin at the Anchorage Fish Company in La Jolla. Their repertoire consisted of Union Gap favorites, classics by the Beatles and Buddy Holly, and then-current hits by such acts as Little River Band and Exile. In 1980, Puckett began working with SRO, a San Diego lounge band, and asked Kicks magazine publisher Tom Arnold to manage him despite the fact Arnold had never managed any music acts. In early 1981, Puckett launched a new band with the goal of fueling a comeback and obtaining a recording contract. After doing some warm-up gigs in Las Vegas, the group did a homecoming show at the Bacchanal in Kearny Mesa. The performance received such a tepid review in the San Diego Union that, after reading it, Puckett fired the band, fired his fledgling manager and shelved his comeback attempt. "We did play at the Bacchanal, which I think was a mistake," Puckett said. "All these years later, Tom and I are still friends." Puckett maintained a low profile until 1984, when the Turtles launched their first Happy Together Tour and invited Puckett and a reconstituted Union Gap to be one of the acts in the multi-band lineup. His star rose significantly higher in 1986 when he and The Union Gap joined the Grass Roots and Herman's Hermits on the Monkees' 20th anniversary reunion concert trek. That tour included a show at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium, making Puckett the only artist in memory to go from playing at the Anchorage Fish House to the home of the San Diego Padres baseball team. "It was a spectacular tour, the biggest of the year," he said. "And it was our good luck that radio stations began playing the music of our generation again. The Monkees certainly put us back on the map." In a Union-Tribune interview previewing the San Diego tour stop of the 2012 Happy Together Tour, the then-69-year-old Puckett referred to himself as "an old man." Had anyone told him then that he'd still be touring 13 years later, how would he have reacted? "I would not have believed it!" Puckett replied. "I would have said: 'You've got to be kidding.' This year I'm doing 59 or 60 Happy Together Tour shows and about 40 more on my own. "There are times when I honestly want to say: 'OK, I am done touring. I want to spend time with my family and swim with my grandkids.' There are other times when I am so inspired being on stage and inspired by the enthusiasm of the audience shaking my hand and thanking me. So, I have no idea how long I'll keep doing this. I'll let go of the reins when the time comes." Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
New York Post
08-07-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Ex-Zohran Mamdani berates Muslim NYPD cop for being an officer in resurfaced video
Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani's ex-intern berated a Muslim police officer at a pro-Palestinian protest, according to a recently resurfaced video. City College student Hadeeqa Arzoo Malik — who interned for Mamdani prior to his mayoral campaign — verbally attacked an officer over his career choice at what appears to be a pro-Palestine demonstration on the CUNY school's campus, the video, originally posted on Feb. 28. 3 Malik poses with Mamdani in his AD office during a summer internship. Linkedin/Hadeeqa Arzoo Malik 'Let's read the badges of the pigs,' Malik shouts at a line of cops standing at ease, the video shows. Malik begins reading out a list of traditionally Muslim names until she zeroes on an officer presumably named Ra fid. 'So to the Rahmans and the Muhammads, to the Alis and the Abdullahs,' said the then-president of the City College chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP). 'To the Rafids!' she exclaims, singling out the officer who appears visibly uncomfortable. 'To the pigs who can call themselves by the name of Islam — put some respect on their names!' she shouts. The unsettling exchange ends with the officer being relieved by a fellow cop nearby. 3 Malik berated a cop presumably named for his career choice. Malik worked in Mamdani's Assembly district office as a communications, outreach, policy and constituent services intern during the Summer of 2024, according to her LinkedIn. Mamdani co-founded his alma mater Bowdoin College's SJP chapter. The video posted to X in February was shared by a Columbia University student run account titled 'Documenting Jew Hatred on Campus at Columbia U.' 3 Malik (left) with democratic nominee for mayor Zohran Mamdani. Linkedin/Hadeeqa Arzoo Malik The account claimed that Malik has an 'extensive profile' with the online hate tracker Canary Mission. 'NYers take note! You'll be getting a lot more very empowered Maliks if Mamdani wins the election. Don't let this happen,' the account warned followers in the post. Mamdani and Malik did not immediately respond to The Post's requests for comment.
Forbes
06-07-2025
- Politics
- Forbes
How A Top Public School Develops STEM Talent And Leadership
STEM talent and leadership are critical to our nation's future. 'The two institutions that have sustained our democracy since the country's founding are public education and the United States military.' Those words from the late Frances Hesselbein echoed in my mind as I delivered the keynote address at the graduation ceremony for the High School for Math, Science and Engineering (HSMSE) at The City College of New York. As we celebrate the birth of our country on July 4th, it was an honor to witness and celebrate the enduring strength of public education, one of the institutions that has long sustained our democracy, exemplified by schools like HSMSE that are advancing STEM talent. HSMSE is one of the top-ranked public schools in New York and among the best nationally, according to U.S. News & World Report's 2024 rankings of public high schools. It is a clear example of that strength in action. Public education remains a powerful engine for advancing STEM talent and building future leaders. From the stage, as I looked out at the graduates, families, and faculty, I was reminded that leadership does not start on the battlefield or in the boardroom. The seeds of leadership are planted and nurtured in our classrooms. In a thoughtful gesture, HSMSE graduates turned to face and thank their families and friends—because ... More leadership begins in the classroom. These graduates represent the future of STEM talent and leadership. Leadership Begins in the Classroom: Cultivating STEM Talent and Leadership at HSMSE Leadership was evident everywhere at graduation. It was embodied in City College President Dr. Vincent Boudreau, HSMSE Principal, Sean Dolcy, and the dedicated faculty. What struck me most was the leadership of the students—from leading the student body and excelling in academics, art, music, athletics, mathematics, science, engineering, foreign languages and many other areas. These leadership skills were developed in the classroom, and each student's achievement on graduation day was celebrated by their supporters. They were filled with pride, faith and love. The day was a reminder that behind every leader is a village of support. This support was especially true at HSMSE, where the combination of academic excellence, community support, and immense pride was evident in every handshake, hug, and expression of congratulations and excitement for the future. These young leaders are the future talent who will join the world of business. LTG (Ret.) Thomas P. Bostick delivers the keynote address at HSMSE's graduation ceremony on July 24, ... More 2025, at The City College of New York. A Model for STEM Talent and Leadership As the U.S. continues to face a growing skills gap in STEM education, HSMSE offers a model that businesses can understand and value. The school brings together brilliant, diverse students from across New York City and immerses them in an intensive curriculum centered on math, science and engineering. HSMSE delivers a rigorous STEM curriculum that prepares students for real-world challenges. Every HSMSE student studies a foreign language and can take college-level courses at the City College of New York, where HSMSE is located. Students are held to a high standard and are accountable for their performance. While most graduates move on to college, including many of the most selective schools in the country, what stands out most is how well these students are prepared for life, whether through higher education, internships, policy fellowships, military service or direct entry into the workforce. It's a compelling example of a workforce and talent pipeline that businesses should take note of. More impressive than the statistics is the character of the graduating class. These students persevered through the challenges of a worldwide pandemic, adjusting to remote learning, uncertainty and time away from classmates. Through it all, they demonstrated resilience. In these HSMSE students, I saw the qualities that every company strives to build in its organization and culture. These students come from diverse ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds and recognize the value of teamwork. They are poised to succeed and excited to take on the challenges that lie ahead. HSMSE Co-Presidents Jazmine Chavez and Ayisha Yankey, along with their fellow graduates, embody ... More academic excellence, community spirit and future potential. Leadership starts in the classroom. A Personal Story of STEM Talent and Leadership The resilience of the graduates reminded me of my journey and a quote from Nelson Henderson. 'The true meaning of life is to plant trees under whose shade you do not expect to sit.' As I told the graduates, my father was an orphan when he was eight years old. He worked three jobs in Brooklyn, New York, before joining the U.S. Army and subsequently meeting my mother while on an assignment in Japan. I am the second of their five children. When my older brother became the first person in our family to attend college, I worked three jobs while in high school to help my parents pay for his education. My younger siblings, still in junior high, couldn't help me as I prepared for college, so I decided to find a full scholarship somewhere, anywhere. I had good grades, test scores, and was a three-sport athlete, so I decided to apply to the United States Military Academy at West Point. However, I required a nomination from my congressman in California, where we lived. After being rejected by my congressman and both senators, I even reached out to Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm from Brooklyn since my father grew up there. She applauded my initiative, but still sent me a kind rejection letter because I had to live in Brooklyn to receive her nomination. So, I applied to the local community college and planned to become a carpenter. Then, one day, a retired general named George Wahl came to my school and asked if I wanted to attend the United States Military Academy at West Point. I told him, a bit defeated, 'Not anymore,' because I couldn't get a congressional nomination, so I've given up on that dream. 'You should write to the President,' he said. I asked, 'Why would the President give me a nomination if none of my congressmen would?' One of several rejection letters Thomas P. Bostick received while in high school as he pursued a ... More congressional nomination to West Point—a powerful reminder that perseverance and guidance from mentors like General George Wahl often precede success. He explained that Members of Congress have only a limited number of nominations, but the President has up to 100 nominations reserved for children of those serving in the military. I took General Wahl's advice, applied, and was nominated by President Nixon. Like HSMSE, West Point emphasized math, science and engineering, and required the study of a foreign language. The lesson for me, and each of the graduates, is that the path to success is rarely easy and often indirect. Therefore, they should never give up on their dreams, regardless of the challenges that come their way. I did not become a carpenter after all, but I eventually became the Chief of Engineers and the Commanding General of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. General Wahl passed away shortly after I graduated from West Point. Before he died, he had planted a tree by mentoring me. Yet he never sat in that tree's shade as I grew, but he taught me a lifelong lesson: To pay it forward. I encouraged the graduates to lift as they climb. Just as I benefited from mentorship and belief, I witnessed similar investments being made in the students at HSMSE. HSMSE Principal Sean Dolcy and City College President Dr. Vincent Boudreau led the graduation ... More procession, fittingly held on the campus of The City College of New York, where HSMSE is housed. I spoke with City College President Dr. Vincent Boudreau at the graduation ceremony. We reflected on General Colin Powell's legacy as a military and diplomatic leader who always remembered where he came from and continued to give back to the college from which he graduated. HSMSE, located on the grounds of City College, continues General Powell's legacy by preparing students to lead in math, science, engineering, leadership and beyond. As virtually every business competes for diverse and values-based talent, HSMSE and the City College of New York provide an example of how companies can develop high-functioning teams. Businesses today will benefit from encouraging innovation, embracing dreamers, promoting risk-taking and mentoring younger team members. I saw the legacy of giving back bearing fruit at HSMSE. HSMSE is more than a school. It is a model for addressing the national STEM talent gap while cultivating value-centered future business leaders. LTG (Ret.) Thomas P. Bostick met with many of the graduates and their families, including Collin ... More Megson and his family. A Call to Support STEM Talent and Leadership Those seeking to develop teams with STEM talent and leadership must ask themselves: The next generation of leaders has arrived. Many will come from public schools and the military. Following my remarks at the HSMSE graduation ceremony, a father of one of the graduates approached me and proudly stated that his son was departing for West Point to join the Class of 2029. At that moment, I thought about Frances Hesselbein. Public education and the military continue to sustain our democracy. As STEM talent and leadership become increasingly essential to national competitiveness, business leaders should consider both public education and the military in developing the next generation of STEM talent. One HSMSE graduate, Joel Shin, will begin his next chapter at West Point, continuing the Long Gray ... More Line.
9 News
05-07-2025
- 9 News
Long before his sex trafficking trial, 'Diddy' was embroiled in a different scandal
Your web browser is no longer supported. To improve your experience update it here On the day Sean "Diddy" Combs was convicted on charges of transportation to engage in prostitution, Jason Swain's mind raced back more than three decades to the Manhattan gymnasium where his brother and eight other young people were crushed to death. He recalled being shown a Polaroid of his deceased 20-year-old brother Dirk – eyes open – that night in late December 1991 at the stairwell entrance to the City College of New York gymnasium. Thousands had gathered at the Harlem campus for an oversold charity basketball game organised by an up-and-coming music producer then known as Puff Daddy. Sean 'Diddy' Combs was convicted on charges of transportation to engage in prostitution. (Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP) "My mother was there with some of the other mothers. They all were looking at Polaroid pictures of their dead kids," Swain told CNN in a recent interview. "And my dad was angry with the police because they wouldn't let us see Dirk. But, you know, it was a crime scene." In fact, no criminal charges were filed in connection with the tragedy, which stunned the city and generated national headlines. The victims ranged in age from 15 to 28, according to media reports. No criminal charges were filed in connection with the tragedy. (CNN) It was the first of several instances along the three-time Grammy winner's meteoric ascent that Combs' career kept prospering despite civil or criminal allegations, including his 2001 acquittal on four counts of gun possession and one count of bribery following a Manhattan nightclub shooting two years earlier. For years, the families of Dirk Swain and other victims sought civil damages in drawn-out wrongful death suits. Combs paid about US$750,000 ($1.1 million) of a total $5.8 million to settle claims by relatives of the victims in 1998, according to the New York State Attorney General's office, which represented City College, The New York Times reported. A state court judge had ruled Combs and the rap artist and copromoter of the event Dwight "Heavy D" Myers – who died in 2011 – bore 50 per cent of the culpability for the deaths and injuries, according to court documents. The balance of the blame fell on the college, according to the judge. Combs' attorney in the suits declined comment this week. Jason Swain and a survivor, Charrisse Miles, find little solace in Combs' conviction this week on two charges of transportation to engage in prostitution. They said he has never accepted full responsibility for the deaths at City College. Instead, Combs faces a maximum sentence of 20 years – though he could serve less prison time. In this courtroom sketch, Sean "Diddy" Combs reacts after he was convicted of prostitution-related offenses but acquitted of sex trafficking and racketeering charges that could have put him behind bars for life, Wednesday, July 2, 2025, in Manhattan federal court in New York. (Elizabeth Williams via AP) (AP) "I don't know how to express it any other way. I'm spiritual, like my mother, and for anything that was done wrong over the years, he's gonna get his," said Swain, a filmmaker. "I believe in karma." CNN reached out to members of Combs' current legal team for comment on this story. A media representative for Combs referred CNN to their client's 1998 statement to the media. When Combs testified as a witness in one of the lawsuits related to the deadly stampede, he spoke to reporters outside the courtroom. "City College is something I deal with every day of my life," Combs was quoted as saying by The New York Times. "But the things that I deal with can in no way measure up to the pain that the families deal with. I just pray for the families and pray for the children who lost their lives every day." On Wednesday, after an eight-week trial, Combs sat with his hands clasped in his lap when the verdict was read. When the not guilty verdict was announced on the racketeering conspiracy charge, he put his head in his hand. Then he did a subtle fist pump when he was declared not guilty on the sex trafficking counts. Later, Combs dropped to his knees at his chair and bowed his head as if praying. When he stood up, he faced members of his family and supporters in the gallery and started a round of applause. They responded with applause and cheers as Combs' attorneys exchanged hugs. Prosecutors had accused Combs of leading a criminal enterprise made up of some of his closest employees, alleging they used threats, violence, forced labour, bribery and other crimes to force ex-girlfriends Casandra "Cassie" Ventura and "Jane," who testified under a pseudonym, to engage in drug-fuelled sex acts called "Freak Offs" or "hotel nights" with male escorts. Prosecutors had accused Combs of leading a criminal enterprise. (Elizabeth Williams/AP) Combs pleaded not guilty to one count of racketeering conspiracy, two counts of sex trafficking and two counts of transportation for prostitution. His lawyers argued the sex acts were consensual and merely preferences, while trying to undermine the hip-hop mogul's accusers by contending they were trying to gain a monetary benefit from Combs. Combs was denied bail on Wednesday. The date of his sentencing has not been firmly set. There will be a hearing on Tuesday to address the scheduling of Combs' sentencing. In the end, legal experts said the prosecution may have overcharged Combs. Jurors never heard any direct testimony from many of the people who prosecutors claimed participated in the alleged enterprise . After the judge left the bench on Wednesday, Combs told family members: "We're going to make it through this." "I'll see you when I get out," he added before blowing kisses to family and friends in the courtroom. Charrisse Miles, who was 21 when she survived the deadly 1991 stampede in Harlem, said she followed coverage of Combs' latest trial for a couple of days and then couldn't "stomach" any more. "When you think about the City College incident, that was traumatizing for a lot of us back then. But when we think about the people he's traumatized since then, it's astronomical," Miles, 54, an IT project manager who now lives in Georgia, told CNN, referring to Combs. The nightmarish moments she endured more than three decades ago are still vivid: A mob of pushing, shoving young people; the faces of victims trapped in a small stairwell, screaming, passing out and being crushed. People were falling; others running. It was her first time out alone for an event like the "1st Annual Heavy D & Puff Daddy Celebrity Charity Basketball Game." Miles recalled "feeling a little grown up". The night featured some of the biggest names in music: Boyz II Men, Run DMC, Big Daddy Kane and Jodeci. It was billed as an AIDS education benefit after basketball legend Magic Johnson had recently revealed he was HIV-positive. Sean 'Diddy' Combs posing with a Grammy award. (Nine) Miles recalled standing in the crowded gym as speakers blared music and celebrities ran plays up and down the court. "I probably was (in the gym) not even 10 minutes before the stampede actually started," she told CNN . "I was in the crowd when the first victim was raised above us and carried out." She remembered a roar as the crowd stampeded through the doors. She said she saw Combs and some associates running past her and "never looking back". "I know it was so many years ago but it was one of those incidences where you kind of don't forget," Miles said. "He just kind of ran past, like, 'We have to get out of here.'" Miles said Combs – who she believes was sufficiently well-known and respected by young people even at the time – could have used his celebrity status to try to calm the crowd and "brought a sense of peace". "I feel like from City College up until today, if this was a person of remorse, we should have seen it by now," she said. "I just feel like he's trying to get to a position where he can continue." She referred to his behavior after the recent trial verdict, the subtle fist pump and the applause and cheers in the courtroom. "I'm not a psychologist or a psychiatrist but it just screams narcissistic behaviour," Miles said. "He seems to be saying, 'I'm OK. I'm good. I'll be free again.' There's nothing about, 'I'll do better,' or the victims or the harm he's brought to people. It just appears to be all about him." A 1992 report requested by former New York City Mayor David Dinkins cited a failure of responsibility of all the parties involved in the event in the 1991 tragedy. It singled out Combs for leaving the event planning in the hands of inexperienced associates and accused him of misleading attendees about the charitable nature of the game. The gym's capacity was 2730 – but accounts of the number of people who sought to gain admission were between 3000 and 4000, the report said. The review of the events that day, the report said, "leads to the inescapable conclusion that almost all of the individuals involved in the event demonstrated a lack of responsibility." In his ruling in one of the lawsuits, Court of Claims Judge Louis Benza cited the testimony of a veteran New York City police officer who said the doors to the gym were blocked by a table. The officer said when he pushed aside the table that was blocking the door and fell "through the door, into the gym," he saw "Combs standing there with two women, and all three had money in their hands". Benza wrote the officer's description of events "places a strain on the credibility of Combs' testimony that he was caught up in the melee and attempted to help the people who were trapped in the stairwell." "It does not take an Einstein to know that young people attending a rap concert camouflaged as a 'celebrity basketball game,' who have paid as much as $20 a ticket, would not be very happy and easy to control if they were unable to gain admission to the event because it was oversold," the judge wrote. "By closing the only open door giving access to the gym, Combs' forces, who were fully aware of the crowd uncontrollably pouring down the stairwell, created something akin to a 'dike,' forcing the people together like 'sardines' squashing out life's breath from young bodies," Benza added. The cause of death for each victim was "asphyxia due to compression of the chest," the city's chief medical examiner said, according to the report commissioned by the former mayor. "No broken bones were found in any of the deceased". Jason Swain said even after nearly 34 years, he has never stopped thinking or talking about the tragedy at City College and the nine people who lost their lives. He'll never forget his older brother Dirk, lying on the gym floor with a sheet draped over his body. The ticket to the game was in his pocket. "Dirk wanted to be an architect. And that was based off, as funny as it may sound, 'The Brady Bunch,' the father of 'The Brady Bunch,'" he recalled. "Dirk was a graffiti artist … Dirk, with my dad, as a kid, used to trace the comics in the newspaper. And he became an artist." Dirk was a junior at Hampton University near Virginia Beach when he died. Swain said Dirk had been shot in Virginia three months before the City College event and survived his head injuries. "His first day out was at City College, at this event. So we got him back, and then he died. So I lost my mind. I only had one sibling and he was super, like a father to me." On his Grammy award-winning "No Way Out" album nearly six years after the stampede, Combs briefly mentioned the City College victims in a song titled Pain . "To the City College deceased, may you rest in peace To the families, I never meant to cause no pain I know the truth, but if you want, then I shoulder the blame." But Swain and Miles said Combs has always evaded responsibility for the deaths. "The way I look at it, the victims were tucked under a rug and left voiceless," Swain said. "No one talked about them." World crime USA entertainment CONTACT US Property News: The suburbs where workers on $300,000 can't afford a house.
New York Post
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Diddy's two-charge acquittal: Letters to the Editor — June 5, 2025
The Issue: Sean 'Diddy' Combs being acquitted on sex trafficking and racketeering charges. Sean Combs may have been acquitted of the most serious charges, but that doesn't mean he isn't a degenerate ('Making of a hip-hop martyr,' Kirsten Fleming, July 3). Instead of using his fame and money to make a difference and enrich the lives of others, Combs wielded his power to demean women with predatory behavior that bordered on inhumane. There are no winners in this trial. All it did was showcase how an individual with power and influence, but lacking any real humanity, used people in a bad manner and got away with it. Michael D'Auria Bronxville Those people who predict that Diddy's career will suffer as a result of the trial obviously have not seen the crowd of morons outside the courthouse cheering his 'victory.' He is now a social-justice icon to some, and he will continue to prosper. The government's attempt to score an attention-grabbing victory was an utter failure, a true O.J. Simpson moment. Please do not waste any more of our tax money on prosecutions of celebrities who are above the law. Robert Mangi Garden City Now that Combs has been found guilty of prostitution, the big question is how much a pardon from President Trump will cost him. Even though he was only found guilty on the lesser charges, this pardon would still be costly, but Combs has the money. Kreg Ramone Manhattan Diddy is a very powerful person. Even if he does time, it won't make a difference in his operations and power. The fact is that the operation he was responsible for will continue and prosper because everyone involved knows that they will not suffer any consequences. The corruption runs very deep. Unfortunately, we the public pay the price for this unbelievable immoral debauchery. Jean Cole Juno Beach, Fla. In 1991, Combs promoted a concert at City College which killed nine people in a stampede because Combs oversold the concert tickets. Combs was never charged. Now he sits brooding in the Metropolitan Correctional Center, as his lawyers spew garbage about the lack of opportunity for black people. I believe O.J. murdered Nicole Simpson and Ronald Brown and got away with it by playing the race card. Combs contemptuously continues that tradition. Ron Spurga Manhattan The Issue: The New York City Pride March banning LGBT police offers from participating in uniform. The leaders of the Pride March refused to let gay NYPD officers march in their parade with their uniforms and their firearms on, but as soon as there was a problem when someone was shot and assaulted, who came to help ('The Shame of Pride,' Editorial, July 2)? Everybody had better wake up, because when you are in a bad situation, the only help is the NYPD. Without them, imagine what more could have happened. John Wilde Massapequa Park I've marched in New York City Pride for years. It's one of the most moving, joyful days of the year — full of love, defiance and belonging. But this year, as I cheered for floats and families, drag queens and dancers, I couldn't shake the bitter truth that some of our own were missing: LGBTQIA+ officers were banned from marching in uniform. I get the history — I really do. Law enforcement has caused deep, lasting harm to our community. But Pride was born from protest and from the belief that we all deserve to live and love out loud. It's appalling that queer officers — people who risk their lives for this city every day — are allowed to guard the parade but not walk in it. L.C. Walton Manhattan Want to weigh in on today's stories? Send your thoughts (along with your full name and city of residence) to letters@ Letters are subject to editing for clarity, length, accuracy, and style.
