David v. Goliath: Veteran Dojo Faces Eviction

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David v. Goliath: Veteran Dojo Faces Eviction

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I'm Pow Srikachorn, a Service-Disabled Veteran and Owner of The Compound Fight House — a place where kids, families, and everyday people find belonging through martial arts. Today, our community gym is facing eviction in the next 60 days due to years of unresolved damage caused by a major, nationwide corporation and corporate pressure from our landlord. Despite the landlord acknowledging we are NOT at fault, they are threatening to push us out.

We've supported thousands of people — but today, we need help.

After serving my country with 10 deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan, Africa, and South America, we built The Compound to continue serving in a different way — through empowerment, discipline, and community. Our gym is a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) built on integrity, honesty, and helping those who most need a safe place to grow.

For years, the upstairs tenant's leak repeatedly flooded ~1,200 sq ft of our training area. The landlord confirmed we were not responsible — yet we were still forced to operate in a contaminated, unsafe space, losing students, income, and equipment.

As a result, we've accumulated quite a bit of back rent, not because we were negligent, but because we were physically unable to properly use major portions of our facility, paying for new equipment, cleaning supplies, and simply overcoming these issues.

Now we face eviction within 60 days, and we are being forced to defend ourselves legally against both:

• A negligent landlord, and
• A corporate giant whose actions have severely impacted our ability to operate

This campaign seeks $150,000 to:
✔ Cover the accumulated rent caused by the unusable space
✔ Pay for legal representation to fight this eviction
✔ Stand up against corporate bullying targeting small businesses
✔ Protect the programs that serve our kids, families, veterans, and community

This is not about profit — this is survival.

The Compound is more than a gym. It's a lifeline for people who have nowhere else to go.

Over the years, we have:
• Supported autistic kids with structure, confidence, and emotional regulation
• Provided discounted or free training for low-income families who just want their children to be safe and mentored
• Housed Wheaton High School wrestling program for free when their program was cut
• Offered father–son bonding programs that bring families closer
• Provided veterans with a safe place to decompress, rebuild confidence, and connect with others
• Provided safety training for Disabled Veterans with adaptive therapy
• Helped hundreds of kids fight bullying, depression, anxiety, and isolation

When you donate, you're not just saving a building — you're saving everything that happens inside it.

Every dollar goes directly to keeping our doors open and fighting back:
* ~ $110,000 — Clear 2.5 years of disputed back rent / lease obligations
* ~ $40,000 — Legal fees to sue/fight this MAJOR corporation and defend against the landlord in court

We are not asking for a handout — we're asking for a hand-up to stand and fight so we can keep serving our community for years to come.

We have less than 60 days before we lose our facility.
Once we are evicted, our families, children, and students lose their home.

We cannot fight this alone — not against corporate lawyers, not against a landlord, and not after years of forced loss.

Your support gives us a chance.

Please consider donating to help us survive this unfair eviction and fight back against systems that hurt small businesses like ours.

If you can't donate, sharing this campaign is just as powerful.

Thank you for standing with us. Thank you for believing in community. Thank you for helping us fight back.

Organizer

Pow Srikachorn
Organizer
Silver Spring, MD
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