Man Shares Reason for Cleaning Up Destroyed Christina Yuna Lee Memorial

A community leader in New York City's Chinatown neighborhood shared his reasons for cleaning up a memorial for Christina Yuna Lee that was recently vandalized.

On Wednesday, a memorial set up outside of Yuna Lee's apartment on Chrystie Street was vandalized by an unknown individual just days after she was fatally stabbed in her apartment. Following the vandalization, Wellington Chen, the executive director of the Chinatown Business Improvement District (BID)/Partnership, was seen in a picture posted on Twitter by Chinatown NYC cleaning up the memorial.

While speaking with Newsweek on Thursday, Chen said that he wanted to clean up the vandalized memorial to show a better example of kindness to kids and future generations to come.

"What struck me as I was standing there, there's school kids coming in rows passing by and I'm thinking, how the hell can you set an example to the future generation...that even when you are killed, that there [are] people who cannot stand the kindness, the empathy. That they still have to keep on attacking and destroying," Chen told Newsweek. "In this horrific murder scene site, that there are people who cannot tolerate that we are coming together, whether it's the Jewish rabbi or the non-Asian community."

"I feel sorry," Chen continued. "I feel so profoundly saddened for the future generation walking past that site that we had to resort to this hatred and this divisiveness that the attack has to go to that level...We all rest in peace but can you rest in peace."

On Sunday, Yuna Lee was fatally stabbed 40 times after entering her apartment in Chinatown. The suspected killer was identified as 25-year-old Assamad Nash, according to police. Nash has since been arrested.

While speaking to the New York Post on Wednesday, Yuna Lee's former landlord, Brian Chin spoke about the vandalized memorial set up outside her apartment and said, "This morning, the candles that we have all lit as a community for her during the vigil and we all left out here were smashed. The 'Stop Asian Hate' sign was torn."

"They try to desecrate her as much as they could and we as a community are beyond fed up, we are beyond angry and we are tired of being attacked," Chin added while speaking to the Post.

In a statement sent to Newsweek, a spokesperson for the NYPD confirmed that the memorial was vandalized but said that no arrests have been made and an investigation is ongoing.

Following the vandalism and the stabbing incident, Chen said that he'd like to see more surveillance cameras throughout Chinatown to help prevent future crimes. Chen also said that the city needs more mental health counseling options for those in need.