Nicole Brown’s sister lectures on family violence

Sue Doyle

COSTA MESA -- Tanya Brown lived through the trauma of the murder of her

sister, Nicole. But seeing the agony her parents went through is

something she hopes no one experiences.

“If only someone had spoken up earlier, she would still be alive,” said

Brown with tears in her eyes.

Brown told her story to others as the guest speaker for a fund-raiser

Thursday for Parent Help USA, a Costa Mesa-based nonprofit agency devoted

to child abuse prevention.

Brown, along with her sister Denise, speaks out about domestic violence

to raise awareness with the goal of preventing it, so there aren’t any

more stories about it, like her sister.

Nicole Brown Simpson, the ex-wife of football great O.J. Simpson, was

brutally stabbed to death along with her friend, Ron Goldman, on June 12,

1994. Simpson went on trial but was acquitted of the murders, although he

later lost a wrongful death lawsuit filed by Goldman’s father and the

Brown family.

“We have to start viewing domestic violence cases as potential murder

cases because that’s what they are,” Brown said.

The murder of her sister six years ago turned into an education for the

Brown family members, who have become advocates in the fight against

domestic violence through The Nicole Brown Charitable Foundation, a Dana

Point-based nonprofit agency. The organization raises money for

educational programs about domestic violence.

The Browns want to open Nicole House, which would allow women to live

there for 18 to 24 months and learn a new way of life. They haven’t

decided on a location for the shelter.

Most transitional shelters only allow women to stay for a month -- not

enough time to unlearn behavioral habits and emerge into the person they

were meant to be, Brown said.

Brown pointed to legislation as part of the answer to stop the cycle of

abuse. San Diego County takes a zero-tolerance stance against domestic

violence, something she wants to become a nationwide policy.

She hopes the change in the public’s attitude follows the successful

pattern of cigarettes and drunk driving, which have become socially

shunned.

But advocates face a tremendous challenge because there’s a lot of public

discrimination about women or men involved in abusive relationships. They

hope to educate the public about the dynamics of these situations, so

people will have a better understanding and speak out about it, said

Sally Kanarek, founder of Parent Help USA.

“Twelve children die every day in this country and where’s the outrage?”

said Kanarek. “Last year, there was a national funeral for the firemen

who died in a fire in Massachusetts.”

Kanarek wants to focus more on treatment and pull abusers out of the

home and into facilities for help, instead of forcing the victim to

leave, which is the common result.

FYI

The Web site for the Nicole Brown Charitable Foundation is o7

https://www.nbcf.orgf7 .

Anyone involved in an abusive situation can call the National Domestic

Violence 24-hour hotline: 1-800-799-SAFE.