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Earlier today, it was announced that George Zimmerman was preparing to give a press conference to the world.  The press conference never took place, and it even appears that Zimmerman’s attorneys have left his side.  While it might be difficult to imagine that the vigilante who chased down and shot Trayvon Martin against dispatcher orders might be going a bit rogue, that does appear to be the case.

I thought I’d lay out five things that good, law-abiding citizens would like to hear from the man who took it upon himself to take the life of another human being.  Given that his attorneys have now resigned after losing touch with him, I am starting to wonder if there is credibility to my mother’s theory that Zimmerman is planning to leave the country.  Either way, here are the only five things Zimmerman can say that might make any of us feel any better:

1)      I’m turning myself in:  You should be in prison and you know it.  Had it been Trayvon standing over your dead body, he would be in police custody.  Black men are not allowed to “stand their ground” in Florida or any other state for that matter.

2)      I’m sorry for what I did and there is no excuse for killing another human being in cold blood:  One of the things that so many of us are tired of hearing are excuses for why so many black men have to die for no good reason. Our murders go unsolved, and our boys have trouble making it to the age of 18.  If they don’t die at the hands of another black man, they go through life fearing interactions with the police and people like yourself who suddenly become bold when they get their hands on a gun.  Quite frankly, we’re sick of you and also sick of the other thugs in our community who have no respect for human life.

3)      I (along with the city of Sanford) am going to financially compensate Trayvon Martin’s family for their suffering:  You owe your life to the Martin family.   You, your father who helped you to evade police discipline and the Sanford government owe millions to the Martins.  There’s nothing left to be said on this issue.

4)      It was a bad idea to send my black friends out to try and defend me:  Having a black friend doesn’t  automatically prove that you’re not a racist.  Parading your black friends to the media actually proves that you don’t understand how racism works at all.  Even black people can be racist against other black people, just ask Herman Cain.

5)      I am not a racist, just a vigilante thug who buys into stereotypes:  I don’t care if you have 1,000 black friends, a girlfriend with an afro and watched every episode of Soul Train.  Your paranoia as it pertains to African American males makes it clear that Trayvon was a concern to you because of the color of his skin.  But beyond that, you saw a stereotype and took it upon yourself to go against police orders and aggressively act upon it.  For those actions, you should be held responsible.

Dr. Boyce Watkins is a Professor at Syracuse University. To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.