Very interesting.

UPoR columnist Ron Stodghill evidently did not produce the desired PR result when Myers Park United Methodist Church pastor James Howell consented to an interview. Nothing really shocking — or even that terribly interesting — except that Stodghill made a little too explicit the Uptown crowd’s — of which MPUMC is a member in good standing — upset with the local NAACP’s grandstanding.

We told you weeks ago that the Uptown crowd really and truly believes that winning the DNC 2012 convention will “save” Charlotte and nothing — including some loaded words from Rev. Kojo — should be allowed to stand in the way of that. My sense is that Howell expected Stodghill to have that ultimate happy face framework in mind and color his reporting to reflect that goal. It didn’t happen, so Howell fired this off yesterday to his email list:

As I found my face on the front page of the Charlotte Observer this morning, and then my words in a column by Mr. Ron Stodghill, I felt the need to clarify a couple of things to you – as his words misrepresented both my thoughts and you, whom I appear to be representing in the column. I consented to the interview, thinking I might be able to say a few things that might help assuage some of the anger around race we’ve seen recently in Charlotte. We spent an hour together, and his column only gave a little bit, and put a false spin on that little bit.

Mr. Stodghill makes it appear as if all Myers Park people are white, rich, have maids, and disrespect African Americans. We actually have 60 African-American members of our Church – not nearly as many as we’d like, of course – and not many of us are rich, and only comparatively few have maids. I was trying to say to Mr. Stodghill that there is indeed some loss of respect between blacks and whites in Charlotte, going both ways, and for many reasons. Some may be attitudes we grew up with, but there are many more reasons, including what we may have experienced.

When I spoke of us not knowing whom to call, I meant that many of us in the white community, myself included, have spent a lot of time befriending leaders in the African-American community. I know the mayor, and most of the pastors – but I do not know the head of the NAACP who got all the press. I was suggesting to Mr. Stodghill that if we know one another and converse, we can understand, and not be so angry. I think that is correct, and I regret that his column misrepresented me, and you.

I will be communicating this directly with the powers that be at the newspaper – but I wanted you to know this, today. Thanks for your patience.

Whoa — directly with the powers that be — just a little window on how Charlotte still works.