David Sloan
David Sloan researches intriguing stories from Key West's past to share island history people might not hear on the Conch Train.
The Bum Farto Files: The Other Operation Conch
Key West Fire Chief Joseph "Bum" Farto disappeared on Feb. 16, 1976, while awaiting sentencing for a drug trafficking conviction stemming from Operation Conch – a sting operation that found Farto allegedly selling cocaine from the city's fire station. Bum became the Jimmy Hoffa of Key West, and the...
Love Me Do – Key West minstrel shows
The Beatles fought racism from a Key West motel. (See keysweekly.com) We all can fight racism. While we celebrate Key West as “One Human Family,” we must not forget the island’s history of “un-human family” behavior, lest history repeat itself. Love Me Do is a weekly feature that invites...
Tarred and Feathered by the Key West Ku Klux Klan
The Beatles fought racism from a Key West motel. (You can read about that at keysweekly.com.) You can also fight racism. While we celebrate Key West as “One Human Family,” we must not forget the island’s history of “un-human family” behavior, lest history repeats itself. Love Me Do is...
The Key West Race War of 1897
The Beatles fought racism from a Key West motel. (You can read more about that at keysweekly.com.) You can also fight racism. While we celebrate Key West as “One Human Family,” we must not forget the island’s history of “un-human family” behavior, lest history repeats itself. Love Me Do...
Love Me Do – The dark side of Mallory Square
The Beatles fought racism from a Key West motel. (See keysweekly.com for that story.)
You can fight racism, too. While we celebrate Key West as “One Human Family,” we must not forget the island’s history of “un-human family” behavior, lest history repeats itself.
Love Me Do is a weekly feature that...
Slavery at Fort Taylor & Fort Jefferson
The Beatles fought racism from a Key West motel. You too can fight racism. While we celebrate Key West as “One Human Family,” we must not forget the island’s history of “un-human family” behavior, lest history repeat itself.
It is not uncommon for Key West to deny past racism by...
How the Beatles fought racism from a Key West motel
Beatlemania took America by storm in 1964, but that same year, the president of the Florida Hotel & Motel Association dumped muriatic acid on black people who were swimming in a “whites-only” pool.
The Beatles were in Las Vegas when a reporter informed them the Jacksonville, Florida stadium they were...
The Bum Farto Files: The Ballad of Titus Walters
(Editor's Note: This week's installment of The Bum Farto Files includes details of a murder and crime scene that some readers may find disturbing.)
Key West Fire Chief Joseph "Bum" Farto disappeared on Feb. 16, 1976, while awaiting sentencing for a drug trafficking conviction stemming from Operation Conch – a...
The Bum Farto Files: The Perfect Storm
Key West Fire Chief Joseph "Bum" Farto disappeared on Feb. 16, 1976, while awaiting sentencing for a drug trafficking conviction stemming from Operation Conch – a sting operation that found Farto allegedly selling cocaine from the city's fire station. Bum became the Jimmy Hoffa of Key West, and the...
The Bum Farto Files: The Dollar Dance
Key West Fire Chief Joseph “Bum” Farto disappeared on Feb. 16, 1976, while awaiting sentencing for a drug trafficking conviction stemming from Operation Conch – a sting operation that found Farto allegedly selling cocaine from the city’s fire station. Bum became the Jimmy Hoffa of Key West, and the...
The Bum Farto Files: A Bum Rap
Key West Fire Chief Joseph “Bum” Farto disappeared on Feb. 16, 1976, while awaiting sentencing for a drug trafficking conviction stemming from Operation Conch – a sting operation that found Farto allegedly selling cocaine from the city’s fire station. Bum became the Jimmy Hoffa of Key West, and the...
The Bum Farto Files – Too Many Chiefs
Key West Fire Chief Joseph "Bum" Farto disappeared on Feb. 16, 1976, while awaiting sentencing for a drug trafficking conviction stemming from Operation Conch – a sting operation that found Farto allegedly selling cocaine from the city's fire station. Bum became the Jimmy Hoffa of Key West, and the...
