Vancouver police are apologizing after officers handcuffed a retired black 81-year-old BC Supreme Court judge after mistaking him for a 40-year-old unhinged man randomly attacking strangers on the Seawall..Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart has also apologized to Selwyn Romilly, the first black judge on B.C.’s superior court, after he was handcuffed by police in English Bay on Friday..“I am appalled by the wrongful handcuffing and detainment of retired Justice Selwyn Romilly and have reached out to apologize. Systemic racism is a reality of our colonial institutions. Incidents like this are unacceptable and cannot continue to happen,” tweeted Stewart..“This is not something anyone should be forced to go through. Incidents like this can be a very damaging experience, especially for those in the Indigenous, Black and Person of Colour communities who already face multiple barriers and discrimination,” Stewart said..Romilly, appointed to the top court in 1995, said police were looking for a “dark-skinned man in his 40s or 50s.”.“I thought things had changed and they haven’t,” Romilly told Global News of the incident..“I hate to say racial profiling, but I can’t help but think if it was an 81-year-old white man, regardless of the description, they wouldn’t have put him in handcuffs for ‘officer safety.’.“It was embarrassing because it was a public place, and you know the place is really busy at that time in the morning.”.Romilly said he doesn’t intend to file a complaint but the incident shows officers still need better training when it comes to race relations..“When it happens, you have to know what your rights are. But at the same time, don’t antagonize — if you start antagonizing, you may end up on the losing end,” he said told Global..“Put your hands behind your back, you get manacled, embarrassed. But you start fighting and all that other stuff, there are all kinds of other charges. Before you know it, you’re in custody and what have you. It’s a really slippery slope..“How do you really explain that to black kids?”.In an e-mail to Postmedia, Const. Tania Visintin said the suspect was described as a dark-skinned man, about 40 to 50 years old..“Mr. Romilly, who had matched the description given to officers by witnesses and was in the same area as the suspect, was briefly taken into custody before it was evident to officers he wasn’t the right suspect,” said Visintin..“In this case, the suspect was violent and could potentially severely hurt an innocent person. After Mr. Romilly was detained, it was quickly determined he was not the suspect and he was immediately free to go,” said Visintin..Stewart said the incident will be discussed at the next police board meeting..Dave Naylor is the News Editor of the Western Standard.,dnaylor@westernstandardonline.com,.Twitter.com/nobby7694
Vancouver police are apologizing after officers handcuffed a retired black 81-year-old BC Supreme Court judge after mistaking him for a 40-year-old unhinged man randomly attacking strangers on the Seawall..Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart has also apologized to Selwyn Romilly, the first black judge on B.C.’s superior court, after he was handcuffed by police in English Bay on Friday..“I am appalled by the wrongful handcuffing and detainment of retired Justice Selwyn Romilly and have reached out to apologize. Systemic racism is a reality of our colonial institutions. Incidents like this are unacceptable and cannot continue to happen,” tweeted Stewart..“This is not something anyone should be forced to go through. Incidents like this can be a very damaging experience, especially for those in the Indigenous, Black and Person of Colour communities who already face multiple barriers and discrimination,” Stewart said..Romilly, appointed to the top court in 1995, said police were looking for a “dark-skinned man in his 40s or 50s.”.“I thought things had changed and they haven’t,” Romilly told Global News of the incident..“I hate to say racial profiling, but I can’t help but think if it was an 81-year-old white man, regardless of the description, they wouldn’t have put him in handcuffs for ‘officer safety.’.“It was embarrassing because it was a public place, and you know the place is really busy at that time in the morning.”.Romilly said he doesn’t intend to file a complaint but the incident shows officers still need better training when it comes to race relations..“When it happens, you have to know what your rights are. But at the same time, don’t antagonize — if you start antagonizing, you may end up on the losing end,” he said told Global..“Put your hands behind your back, you get manacled, embarrassed. But you start fighting and all that other stuff, there are all kinds of other charges. Before you know it, you’re in custody and what have you. It’s a really slippery slope..“How do you really explain that to black kids?”.In an e-mail to Postmedia, Const. Tania Visintin said the suspect was described as a dark-skinned man, about 40 to 50 years old..“Mr. Romilly, who had matched the description given to officers by witnesses and was in the same area as the suspect, was briefly taken into custody before it was evident to officers he wasn’t the right suspect,” said Visintin..“In this case, the suspect was violent and could potentially severely hurt an innocent person. After Mr. Romilly was detained, it was quickly determined he was not the suspect and he was immediately free to go,” said Visintin..Stewart said the incident will be discussed at the next police board meeting..Dave Naylor is the News Editor of the Western Standard.,dnaylor@westernstandardonline.com,.Twitter.com/nobby7694
