Yes Virginia, there is racism.

The Trayvon Martin/George Zimmerman imbroglio is a racial issue. It is jarring that such a large number of people either refuse to see it as such or equate calling it for what it is a sort of reverse racism or embrace of victimhood. It is none of the latter. In our politically correct times it can be difficult for many to acknowledge the uncomfortable reality that racism still plays a role in our national culture and conversation. By now we have heard the gist of what happened that fateful night in Florida. A key scenario of contention in the incident is the role of the deceased and the man who pulled the trigger. The victim, Trayvon Martin, was a young black man, and the man who shot him to his death, whatever his motive may have been, was a white man. The shooter is briefly detained by police and quickly released on account of - all things - his word. George Zimmerman told the police he felt he was in danger and therefore shot Mr. Martin. Case closed. It is an almost statistical fact that had Trayvon Martin been the shooter he would have been jailed extensively and a full investigation would have ensued, with Martin portrayed as a young black hoodlum looking for trouble. But that of course wasn't the case. Thanks to Florida's right-wing Legislature bought and bribed by the National Rifle Association (NRA), there is the imbecile "Stand Your Ground" law, which gives extraordinary scope to the argument of self-defense. Anyone who feels they are in peril can shoot the alleged aggressor and tell authorities they believed they might have been in danger and get off scot-free, consequences be damned. It is widely regarded as one of the loosest gun laws in the nation. So thus Zimmerman was let go by Sanford, Florida police. There are two parties at fault in this drama and one or both can be tainted by racism. Did George Zimmerman profile Trayvon Martin for being black, assume he was a grave threat and shoot him, and did Sanford police treat the case with such phenomenal insouciance because the victim was black? Zimmerman's alleged racism will forever remain ambiguous, as well it should. The Sanford police department is a different story. Their utter disregard for the tragic loss of a young man is difficult to explain away without the issue of race coming into play. For years the black community has had a warranted lack of trust in the police for their lengthy record of leniant and sloppy handling of black persons' concerns and plights. To be sure, not every police department or officer is subtly influenced by racial bias, but the culprit here is the very institution itself. The mindless beating of Rodney King by an army of all white police officers in California in 1991 and those officers' acquittal by an all white jury is difficult to digest - or explain away as non-racial. Officer William Lozano shooting a speeding black driver in Miami in 1989 for what he percieved to be a threat and Lozano's acquittal of that killing is difficult to be seen as not racial. Arthur McDuffie literally beaten to death by five white police officers over a traffic violation and their acquittal by an all white, all male jury is hard to be brushed off as non-racial. And there are more. No doubt all these cases carry different circumstances and nuances that are unique to each case, but the sting of race penetrates them all. It is there and so many of us do not want to talk about it, deal with it, accept it. What is more, the notion that the president of the United States is a black man means the black community can no longer use "excuses" is asinine. I take that to mean that they are no longer allowed to isssue a grievance of racism when it is patently there and indeed worth examining. We have learned in the last few weeks that racial tensions still permeate our society and sully the justice that is due to all Americans regardless of creed. Sanford police may camouflage their racial partiality with the offspring of the all-poweful NRA, and George Zimmerman may be allowed to stand his ground on those very laws, but young Treyvon Martin is buried to the ground. And of course, none of it has to do with race.