Vigil held for Asian woman fatally stabbed in Chinatown

A vigil was held Monday in Manhattan's Chinatown to remember Christina Yuna Lee, 35, the latest victim in a string of random attacks on Asians in New York City, as the man accused of killing her was officially charged. 

"Today is Valentine's Day, I really wish I could hug her, and kiss her, and say, Yuna Lee, we love you," said Justin Yu, the president of the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association, one of the oldest and leading community organizations in Chinatown.

"She had done nothing wrong. Only mistake she made was to move to New York City and make New York City her home. Our city allowed her life to be taken away by violence," he said.   

Jackie Wong was holding an empty frame as she stood in a park in front of the apartment building where Lee was stabbed to death.

"The reason I'm holding an empty frame is to symbolize that anyone could be the next victim,'' Wong, a member of Concerned Citizens of East Broadway, told China Daily. "We don't know who's going to be the next victim. It could be you; it could be me, it could be anyone." 

Lee, who was Korean American, was walking from a taxi into her apartment early Sunday when a man identified as 25-year-old Assamad Nash followed her into her building on Chrystie Street. She was later found dead in her bathtub "bleeding from multiple wounds to the body" after a neighbor heard her screams and called police. Nash was discovered hiding under a bed in the apartment and was arrested, according to police. 

Nash, who is homeless, was in front of a New York City Police Department precinct in Lower Manhattan on Monday and was escorted by two police officers. His head was covered with a gray hoodie.

"I didn't do anything," he said. "I didn't kill anyone."

Nash was charged with murder and burglary, more than 24 hours after he was arrested at the scene of the crime. 

"I don't want to jump to the conclusion that Christina is also a victim of a hate crime because it's still pending, the investigation. But this is another Asian American who was brutally attacked, and what's worse is that she was killed in her own apartment. It just shatters our community," Wong said at the vigil. 

Lee's death renewed the focus on homelessness issues as residents of Chinatown have been protesting since last week plans for a city homeless shelter to be built in the neighborhood.

Chinatown has "the highest risk" to have homeless shelters, Wong said at the vigil. "Our residents are (one of) the most vulnerable groups in the city. During the pandemic, many senior citizens already avoid going out of the neighborhood because they didn't want to get harassed. And now, they don't even feel safe in their own neighborhood."

"Obviously, we need homeless shelters, but we have to be careful that they are spread out evenly, and they are not disproportionally concentrated in any neighborhoods," Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine told reporters at the vigil. "This community is speaking loudly about their concerns and their fears. They need to be heard."