Canada: Retired black judge handcuffed after being mistaken for criminal suspect

Mr Justice Selwyn Romilly was briefly detained by police officers responding to reports of a middle-aged black man randomly assaulting strangers at a scenic point near Vancouver’s English Bay Beach.

He was released minutes later – after he identified himself as a retired judge – and police soon tracked down and arrested the actual suspect, CTV News reports.

Mr Justice Romilly told the Vancouver Sun that officers “didn’t ask me my name or questions … they put the handcuffs on in indecent haste”. Asked if he felt he was racially profiled, he said that “anybody else, they’d ask the name, ask a few questions before they decide to put them in handcuffs”.

The retired judge, who sat on the Supreme Court bench from 1995 to 2015, received an apology from police the same day and another apology later from the mayor of Vancouver.

In a statement, mayor Kennedy Stewart said: “I am appalled by how Vancouver Police officers wrongfully detained and handcuffed retired Justice Selwyn Romilly. Such incidents are unacceptable and cannot continue to happen.”

He added: “I have contacted Chief Palmer and Vancouver Police Board members to inform them of my views and actions. The Board will review this incident at the next available opportunity.

“I want to say again, all of our institutions are based on colonialism and as such are systematically racist. This includes the City of Vancouver and the Vancouver Police Department. We must continue to acknowledge this reality and do our best to combat racism – especially in our government institutions.”