Photo Courtesy of Ricardo Land/ Facebook
The delivery man, responsible for exposing a Washington D.C. Popeyes rat infestation, was suspended from his job.
Ricardo Land, the employee for the raw chicken supplier to the Popeyes location, created a GoFundMe after being suspended from work for exposing the unsanitary restaurant conditions. The now-viral video resulted in the health department closing the restaurant indefinitely.
“Hello, everyone. I have been suspended from my job due to exposure of the Popeyes franchise due to a swarm of rats in the place. I have a family of 5, and due to this incident, my family will be hurt by my employer,” he wrote on the fundraising site three days ago.
“I will not be able to afford rent, food or any other necessities to keep my home. I ask that you beautiful people to please donate what you can, and it will be ever so grateful from my family to yours. Thank you, lovely people, for the support on TikTok, and I will follow everyone of you’ll back as soon as I can. God Bless You.”
Although Ricardo’s ask was $10,000, the GoFundMe has earned the father of five almost $27,000. His highest single-donation received was $500.
Supporters who donated to Ricardo’s cause also offered words of encouragement.
Daniel Mitchell wrote, “I hope that location never opens its doors again to the public. What a slap in the face for doing the right thing. I hope the best for this man and his family during these tough times.”
Morgan Davis couldn’t afford to give much and didn’t donate to GFMs but was moved by Ricardo’s bravery.
“I’ve never donated to a go fund me in my life. I am 25k debt in the hole and by no means have money to spare. That said, the world needs more people like you. I can afford to skip a day of food to help people like you make food safe for others. You’re a damn hero in a world of shameless fame seekers. Who knows how many lives you saved getting that place shut down.”
Before he created the GoFundMe, Ricardo took to his Facebook account to let his friends know that he was dealing with the repercussions of posting the video.
“Yea, they got me,” he wrote on November 2.
The viral clip exposed rats running throughout the restaurant after Ricardo turned the lights on.
“It’s this joint right here that’s wild s**t. “You still love that chicken from Popeyes?”
How the restaurant was able to pass inspection in June is questionable. Still, an assessment from October 28 cited 17 violations, including rat droppings outside near the grease bin, holes in the kitchen ceiling, and standing water pooled in the walk-in fridge, dishwashing area, and in the manager’s office.
We hope Ricardo recovers and finds something better.