Guilty until proven innocent seems to be the new justice system in America these days. We no longer require proof from an accuser or from the prosecution when determining if a person committed a crime. The mere accusation of a crime, especially if it is of a sexual nature, is enough to condemn someone to banishment from their community, to imprisonment without formal charges being read in court and without "reasonable bail" being set. In the case of Sid Reams, the accusations against him led to his death in an uncaring and harsh legal system.Until his arrest, Reams was known as an outgoing humanitarian who was always lending a helping hand to anyone who needed it and had a special place in his heart for the homeless. We all read his articles in the Manteca Bulletin and saw his show "Manteca Magazine" on cable access TV over the years and many of us attended his rallies for the homeless in Library Park. In an instant, everything good this man ever did in his life was forgotten and friends and employers scurried to put as much distance between themselves and Reams as they could.
His employer, Exit Aragon Realtors, immediately fired him (we don't employ perverts!). The Manteca Bulletin repeatedly stated that he was an "unpaid" columnist and seemed to take some kind of perverse pleasure in enumerating the charges against him, even adding another charge after his death that no one else seemed to know about. Friends were afraid to speak out in any defense of him lest they be tainted by association with a criminal. I won't mention any names....the "friends" know who they are.
Sid will never get to face his accuser, will never get to have a trial by a jury of his peers, will never get to defend himself or clear his name because the California justice system killed him before he got a chance. It was well known that he had a heart attack in December (he wrote about it in the Bulletin!), yet the judge refused to release him for humanitarian and medical reasons "pending documentation." The documentation could have been easily obtained since he was treated at the local county hospital had anyone cared enough to do it. In fact, the judge even raised his bail to an unconscionable amount after the request... a quarter of a million dollars! Why? They hadn't even come up with enough evidence to try him yet. Was that the plan?... keep him in prison indefinitely until they come up with something that will stick? Who was really behind this effort to destroy Sid Reams?
Sid spent the last few weeks of his life in jail, alone and sick. When someone in authority finally decided maybe he really was sick and should get medical attention, it was too late. He died alone in a hospital with guards outside his door. His wife Karen, who stood vigil at the hospital, was never allowed in to see him. She never got to say goodbye or to say I love you one last time.
I loved sid, knew him for 27 + years he was a caring gentle soul, Im sorry his wife will forever be under the gun as he did not have his day in court. He good to me and my family. He showed giving was better than taking Im sorry he died with this accusation over his head. Bless you and Love.
ReplyDeleteSharene Malony
Thank you for your comments. I think there's an on line condolences thing also.
ReplyDeleteYou FREAK !!!!
ReplyDeleteIt's Mr. Freak to you.
ReplyDeleteI find this all so horribly disgusting and am in tears for a man who I never met, but whose columns I enjoyed and with whom I exchanged a couple of e-mails (about his columns). He really seemed like such a kind, genuine, friendly person. I knew years ago, a father of a friend who was falsely accused of something that unfairly lost him his job and pushed him into a world where he had trouble getting employment. To think that a man who has done so much good, was given such an unimagineable bail, and that he had to spend the last of his days alone and tarnished, without ever getting the chance to defend himself. My heart breaks for his family and this cruel ending to his life. My biggest hope is that that judge has trouble sleeping at night for the remainder of her (?) days, because she is to blame for killing this man.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comments. The judge was a male I think (Judge Richard Guiliani) and the deputy district attorney appeared to be a female, as did Reams court appointed "defense counsel."
ReplyDeleteU can do a mllion beautiful,great,& gd thngs n a lfetme but win u r hideng a dp drk secret 4 at least 31 of those yrs & wht sme can say nvr hppnd win it factually did.U lve ure ure hole lfe waiting 4 tht person u love mre thn anythng 2 mke it rite & they cant even gt a call on there 40th birthdy & u c the tears swell up while u stnd helplss noing u r out of ure elem. Cause untll now not really sure if what this person is telling u is real doing a little dgging but on the outside hes astnd up guy.But 1 thngs 4 sure sumn aint rite b4 u no it ure lvng the lie 2 & lke evry1 else lfe goes on. If theres alesson 2 b learned here its win tht 1st aqusistion is mde u nd act imeaditly on it im n no way puttn any1 dwn cause if id ben put n tht situation lord knows wht i wd of dne 1thngs 4 sre though he wd of ben a hole lot younger & mite of gottn the hlp he needed worse case senero a shrt jail term & most importantly no 1 else would of hd 2 feel the pain they did. Hpefully then bgan lfe as normal new & beautifull.As much as i regret 2 say this knowing i will now b hurting the very person i dnt wnt 2.
ReplyDeleteUnfortionatly ive wnderd 4 3yrs if ths was true but win i heard he was arrested i new thn it was true tht was bad enuf as it was then he passed.I was flooded wth mixd emotions on 1 hnd u grieve 4 the family on the other u no it really did hppen 4 all of u non believers & believers Sid Reams a gd man wth a dark dark secret was not killed by the judicial system he paid the price 4 his crimes win ure inocent no mttr what u will fite 2 the bitter end my sources say he hd no fite n hm & knowing dp dwn he did do the best he could 2 mke thngs rite but n the end came up short.
ReplyDeleteThough i nver met sid i no u r at peace now & the 1 who stood vigintly 4 at least 31 yrs of their lfe waitng 4 their #1 man 2 b there 4thm as well has come 2 peace wth it this the best they can.Source i no ure proabably hateing me rite now & im so sorry 4 not believeing u back then but the truth must b told i will always love you no mtter what u no i do bout anythng but thts 1 area i 0 xpeirence n im not bashing any1. My heart goes out 2 all nvovled. U NO WHO
ReplyDeleteNow hiring part time jobs in
ReplyDeleteManteca
Sad that the bastard he worked for had to run and fire him and on top of that make a horrible comment. As for that Exit office, it is gone. That Broker got what he deseerved, BROKE. Sid was the only one making him money. What comes around goes around. Those that are evil will get it triple fold. Prayers for Karen and all of Sids family.
ReplyDeleteSorry but Sid was a pervert who cheated on his wives and acted inappropriate towards the dependent adult in question. While he may have done some good in the community, he also was an opportunist who preyed on women. I have first hand knowledge of his antics, so those who are defending him so fiercely do not know the real Sid Reams.
ReplyDelete