That percentage that has held steady for decades, even as the overall number of killings has plunged, from about 23,000 homicides nationwide in 1994 to an estimated 18,000 in 2023.

Few victims and even fewer lawmakers knew those statistics before Simpson's arrest. But the case got people talking.

"That was a huge learning curve even within the movement," said Erica Villa of Next Door Solutions to Domestic Violence in San Jose.

In the wake of Simpson's death from cancer on Wednesday, many domestic violence survivors' advocates recalled how much changed because of the case — and how much remains the same.

'We need to push this now'

Giggans was among the millions who watched the Bronco chase on live TV. But unlike most, she was watching with a plan.

"I remember watching it, eating Haagen-Dazs ice cream in my living room in Mar Vista with about six other advocates for domestic violence prevention," she said. "None of us could get enough of it at the time. But we had an ulterior motive because, for us, it was an educational opportunity. [Suddenly] the media cared what we had to say."

By then, national news outlets had already uncovered police reports and court records detailing Simpson's abuse, including a no-contest plea to battery charges stemming from a bloody incident in 1989.

News vans began camping around the block at the Los Angeles Commission on Assaults Against Women's Hollywood Boulevard headquarters, queuing up for interviews. Overnight, advocates became sought-after stars on TV.

"It was an amazingly consequential period," Giggans said.

...continued

©2024 Los Angeles Times. Visit latimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.