Just how risky is Copper Canyon?

In “Copper Canyon Thrill Ride” (Oct. 27), writer Susan Spano tells of an encounter with a young thief with a knife.

I have just reread Spano’s laudatory article on Naples (“Loving Naples, Flaws and All,” March 4, 2001) and found no reference to threats of violence. I have visited Naples and the rural areas of Copper Canyon and felt safer in Copper Canyon.

Whether these incidents occur is a matter of chance and not necessarily locality. If journalists demean a region they should use statistics, not an isolated personal incident, to back their experience.

Gordon Reiter

Torrance