A Different Perspective on the Latest Nightclub Murder

By Gamal Hennessy

News wires, newspapers and blogs all over the world ran last week’s story of Ingrid Rivera’s murder at the hands of a bar back. The combination of celebrity association (Lil’ Kim wasn’t involved), sex (reports say there wasn’t any) and violence makes this story titillating and easy to add to the universal gossip mill of the internet. It is also very easy to use this incident as an example of the threat nightlife poses to society at large. What might be lost in the overall discussion is that while Ingrid Rivera’s murder was tragic, death inside a New York nightclub or bar is very rare.

The consensus among media outlets is that Syed Rahman, an employee of Spotlight Live, lured Ms. Rivera to the roof of the club during a birthday party for rapper Lil’ Kim. He tried to make sexual advances towards her that she rejected. At that point, Syed attacked her, killing her with a blow to the head. Her body was found two days later in a utility shed on the roof. Syed was arrested that same day and reportedly confessed to the crime.

An associated story detailed the deaths associated with New York nightlife over the past 20 years. While there were little over 100 people killed between 1988 and this point in 2008, there are three things that are worth noting. First, an unusual number of incidents involve club security or other worker inside the club. Second of the 100 people killed, 87 of them died in the Happy Land fire of 1990, which means the other 13-25 deaths accounted for all the murders that took place in more than 1,000 local nightlife establishments. Finally, there is an estimated 65,000,000 entries into New York bars, lounges and nightclubs every year in New York, which means while there have literally been millions of people in New York nightlife almost every one of them makes it back home.

We are not saying that Ms. Rivera’s death or any of the deaths associated with nightlife are an acceptable part of the industry. We are not saying that initiatives like the recent nightlife security plan are not necessary. What we are saying is that while murder in nightclubs is abhorrent, it is also very rare. We don’t want opponents of our nightlife to use this crime as ammunition to close clubs down.

Have fun.
Gamal