In the course of an argument, her husband grabbed her shoulders and pushed her up against a refrigerator. A friend in the house then distracted the husband, and the author ran from the house. Her husband caught her running down the alley behind their house, threw her to the pavement, and began slamming her head against the pavement. Meanwhile, the friend had called the police, and the police arrived in the alley to stop the beating and manage the incident. The officer first discussed the incident with the husband and subsequently blamed the author for provoking her husband to beat her. The police officer kept repeating, "If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem." The husband kept blaming the author for provoking him to violence. He told her that if she would simply do what he wanted, then he would not attack her. If she persisted in resisting his will, then she could only expect more attacks. The author eventually brought charges against her husband and a complaint against the police officer's handling of the incident. The husband was fined and given a suspended sentence, and the police officer contacted her and attempted to explain his position, claiming that he did not show contempt for her. Psychologically, the beating resulted in a fear of men in general, a feeling of vulnerability and powerlessness, and anxiety that affects her decisionmaking.