THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, October 4, 1995 TAG: 9510040561
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A7 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS
LENGTH: Medium: 54 lines
In the closing days of the O.J. Simpson trial, the jury heard a frantic Nicole Brown Simpson tell a 911 operator: ``You never do anything about him.''
Advocates for battered women recalled those words and other testimony of O.J. Simpson's domestic violence Tuesday as they reacted to Simpson's acquittal on charges that he killed his former wife.
Tammy Chandler, domestic-violence counselor at the Women in Crisis program at the Norfolk YWCA, said about 10 women at the shelter listened to the verdict on television. Most were upset afterward.
``They feel it's given a license for men to continue to abuse because they can get away with it,'' Chandler said.
``I can't describe to you the disbelief I'm feeling,'' said Tammy Bruce, director of the National Organization for Women's Los Angeles branch.
``Maybe I am too much a romantic, even being a native Angeleno and seeing a lot of unfair things happen. But I believed the jury would do what they were empaneled to do: Look at the evidence. They did not,'' Bruce said.
NOW was planning a candlelight vigil in Los Angeles Tuesday night to honor the memories of Nicole Simpson and Ronald Goldman.
A disappointed Los Angeles District Attorney Gil Garcetti said the issue of spousal violence was at the heart of the Simpson case.
``This case was fought as a battle for victims of domestic violence,'' he said. ``We hope this verdict does not discourage the victims, who are out there throughout our communities, throughout this country, from seeking help.''
Even with the not-guilty verdict, the trial had heightened awareness of domestic violence, advocates for battered women said.
After spousal abuse became an issue in the Simpson trial, battered spouses across the country called shelters, sought information and checked themselves into crisis programs.
On Monday, citing the Simpson case, the San Francisco Police Department formed a special unit to investigate reports of domestic abuse. It is the only such unit in Northern California.
``I don't think the verdict will have an adverse effect on the progress we've made in educating the public about domestic violence,'' said Novella Beaver, assistant director of the Samaritan House, a women's shelter in Virginia Beach. ``This case propelled the issue into the spotlight.''
Despite disappointment among her clients, Chandler agreed, saying the case ``brought domestic violence out of the closet.''
KEYWORDS: O.J. SIMPSON VERDICT REACTION by CNB