This page was created by Anonymous.
Irving Guberman's store looted
The only evidence of the looting was the store's appearance in lists of the first twenty white business owners suing the city for damages published in the New York Sun, New York World-Telegram, New York American, and New York Amsterdam News. By the time the city comptroller heard testimony from those bringing suit, 106 owners had sought damages. Guberman was not among those whose testimony appeared in newspaper stories about that proceeding, nor did he appear in any of the trials to test the claims. No one among those arrested for looting was identified as taking goods from this store.
The claim for $3,967 in losses is the fifth largest detailed in the newspaper stories, well above the median claim of $733. The city lost the test cases, so Guberman likely was awarded some amount of damages, but based on those cases, it was likely only a small proportion. It is not clear if he was able to remain in business. The MCCH business survey included three stores operating at 60 West 129th Street in the second half of 1935, a white-owned stationary store, and two Black-owned businesses, a barber and a tailor's shop. Either Guberman or Mestetzky could have owned the stationary store; the newspaper stories did not identify their businesses. The Tax Department photograph was taken from too far away to identify the businesses at the address in 1939-1941.