In a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted earlier this week, 91% of black Americans surveyed said that the fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin was unjustified. Among whites, that number was 35%; among Latinos, 59%.

"This incident is one of the clearest splits we’ve seen between whites and blacks," Ipsos pollster Chris Jackson told Reuters.

"African Americans have a significantly different perspective on the whole incident than white Americans or Hispanic Americans," Jackson said.

The fact that whites and blacks have such starkly differing views on whether Trayvon Martin was unjustly killed is a sad reflection on the state of race relations in this country, says Terry Keleher, Director of the Racial Justice Leadership Action Network at the Applied Research Center, Colorlines.com’ publisher.