One week after a fatal shooting in an alley west of Traffic nightclub, bartender Tina McLean stood nursing a beer on the wrong side of the counter.

"Normally we'd be three or four times as busy as this," McLean said, gesturing toward small groups of clubgoers playing pool, sipping drinks or listening quietly as the DJ spun hip-hop music late Friday night. "That affects me and my ability to work and make money."

McLean expected a busier night Saturday — as one of the few downtown venues not participating in the Cinco De Mayo Pub Crawl, Traffic hoped to attract people turned off by the $10 price tag for pub-crawl wristbands.

The specter of possible city action against Traffic, however, left her angry and worried about the future.

As police continue to search for the man suspected of killing 26-year-old Kenneth Dixon Jr., the department is reviewing reported crime at Traffic and other downtown bars.

Those found to have a history of problems could be targeted to have their business or liquor licenses revoked, the city has said.

"It's unfair that they're putting so much attention on us... . It could have happened anywhere downtown," said McLean, who has worked at half a dozen downtown clubs in the past five years. "There were just as many fights at all those bars ... (Traffic is) just bigger, so more people come."

A News-Leader review of assaults and robberies reported downtown in 2006 showed 14 incidents logged at or outside Traffic. A similar number were reported at Icon nightclub, while Jordan Creek and Ernie Biggs — two other large clubs — had about half as many.

Accurate comparisons are difficult, however, because the data shows only reported crime. Police have said some bars call them often to report fights, while others do not.

'an easy scapegoat'

McLean said she thinks the focus is on Traffic because of a widely reported brawl outside the club in October 2005.

An estimated 40 or 50 police and sheriff's deputies responded to the club just before closing time after a patron slashed a bouncer with a knife. Several other people were arrested after authorities were swarmed by a crowd of club-goers exiting the building.

"It brought a lot of negative publicity," McLean said. "Now we're an easy scapegoat."

Race, too, could be a factor, she said. On busy nights, Traffic fills with a mixed crowd of black, white and Hispanic patrons drawn to the hip-hop music pouring out over the dance floor.

"I don't want to say it's a race issue, but I think it almost is," said McLean, who is half Japanese. "Race is an issue in this town, no matter what people think... . I encounter it every day."

Jenna Nimmo, 23, disagreed that race was an issue. Rather, she said, the city is trying to set an example — Traffic was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"They're trying to make a statement," said Nimmo, who is white. "But they shouldn't punish everyone because of a few idiots ... .

"Somebody, somewhere in a town this big, is going to do something stupid."

Ethan McClinton blamed negative perceptions of hip-hop music.

"I think it's more a hip-hop thing than race," said McClinton, who sat alone sipping his drink as loud — but laid-back — music played Friday.

Few venues in Springfield play hip-hop, he said, which is different from, but often connected in popular culture to harsher, gangster rap and idealized violence.

Marcia Coleman, 22, said personal issues, not music, have been at the root of recent confrontations.

"It doesn't have anything to do with the music," Coleman said. "It's just problems people bring here from their outside life."

Coleman said she knew both Dixon, the victim, and his alleged killer, Travis Mack. "They had problems from the past — before Traffic was even open — from what I hear."

A larger issue

All agreed that closing Traffic won't solve the problem of violence downtown.

"If it had happened in the club, sure, go after them," McClinton said, but added that it's not the club's fault if people on the sidewalks or parking lots outside cause trouble.

"If they shut down Traffic, it's going to go some place else," said Coleman. "There's no way to prevent it."

Support for other proposals made by the city — such as applying a no-cruising ordinance downtown, or increasing lighting — was varied.

"I think it's a great idea," McLean said. "And they should pay more attention to the parking lots ... they should be policing the area more."

Nimmo said a cruising ordinance would be impossible to enforce, with so many people going from venue to venue or trying to find a place to park.

Coleman thought a ban on cruising could cut down on the number of people hanging around outside.

"If they're not going to come into a club, or coming to pick someone up, maybe they shouldn't be here," she said.

Nimmo said tighter security — outside, as well as inside — would help.

"They need to fund the police more so we can have more security," she said.

Bolstered with money raised by downtown bar owners, police typically assign four officers downtown on Fridays, with six present Thursday and Saturday. Those numbers have been increased in the wake of the homicide, although police have declined to detail deployment or specific actions they are taking.

McClinton said a larger and more visible police presence in the area could deter crime outside the club. In other cities he's visited, as many as a dozen police officers have been outside when large clubs close.

"That seemed to work," he said. "If there was more police presence, they wouldn't do it."