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Selwyn Romilly, a Black retired Supreme Court judge, said he will not be filing a complaint after being arrested on Friday for matching the description of a suspect
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A retired Supreme Court judge said he will not be filing a complaint after being arrested on Friday for matching the description of a suspect being sought.
Selwyn Romilly, who was the first Black judge named to B.C.’s Supreme Court, was walking on Vancouver’s seawall Friday just before 10 a.m. when he said five police officers appeared and stopped him.
“They said they got a report, that somebody made a report — and I fit the description of a person (that had been) reported. Without much ado, they told me to turn around and put my hands behind my back and put me in handcuffs,” he told Postmedia on Friday afternoon.
“The place is packed with people, and they’re seeing a Black man placed in handcuffs. … They didn’t ask me my name or questions. They put the handcuffs on in indecent haste.”
Romilly said he was upset and embarrassed but that the handcuffs didn’t stay on for long.
“I told them I was a retired Supreme Court judge. I don’t know whether that made them have second thoughts.”
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When asked if he felt he was racially profiled, Romilly suggested that “anybody else, they’d ask the name, ask a few questions before they decide to put them in handcuffs.”
“I was no threat to them, I had no (firearms) on me,” he said. “It was a new experience for me being put in handcuffs.”
Romilly said police did call later in the day and apologized for the arrest.
Vancouver police said they received several calls on Friday morning about a man running around English Bay, screaming and shouting at people, with witnesses telling police the man had tried to kick and punch passersby.
In an email, 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.
She said the acting sergeant later reached out to Romilly to apologize and ensure he wasn’t injured, and provided details on how to file a complaint if he wished to proceed.
Visintin said officers do sometimes arrest an individual before asking for ID if they match the description of a suspect.
“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.
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Romilly was born in Trinidad and later immigrated to Canada where he graduated from the school of law at the University of B.C. in 1966.
In 1974, he became the first Black person appointed to any B.C. court, according to bcblackhistory.ca, after being named to B.C.’s provincial court. In 1995, he became the first Black judge elevated to the B.C. Supreme Court.
He was honoured by the City of Vancouver upon his retirement in 2015, and has received a number of accolades over the years for his contributions and work.
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