Christina Lee’s family launches online fund-raiser for NYC causes and places she loved
Relatives of Christina Lee have broken their silence by starting an online fund-raising campaign in memory of the slain Chinatown resident.
“Christina’s death has shaken us to our core,” the GoFundMe page created by her family reads. “Nothing will give her back to us. But with your help, we can make the 35 years she spent on Earth mean something for generations to come.”
Organized by sister Angela Lee, the campaign has already raised over $100,000 in 24 hours for five organizations that were close to 35-year-old Lee’s heart: the Prospect Park Alliance, Womankind, Planned Parenthood, the Elizabeth Street Garden and SafeWalks.
The organizations on the list provide a window into the life of Lee, who “believed in the power of green and open spaces as opportunities for self-realization and exploration” and viewed the Elizabeth Street Garden near her home as “her personal oasis in the middle of the city.”
“She often went there to read, sketch, listen to music, and hear poetry,” her sister wrote.
To commemorate Lee’s love for Prospect Park— her favorite park in the city — the family hopes to plant a tree and install a memorial bench in her name. “When she lived in Brooklyn, she often went there to meditate, gather with loved ones, and find peace in its wide green expanse,” her sister wrote.
The page also describes her as “a champion of every woman’s right to choose” and an active donor to Planned Parenthood.
By supporting SafeWalks, which matches New Yorkers with people to walk them home if they feel vulnerable, the family hopes to help the initiative expand into other neighborhoods and improve its response times.
Thousands of dollars have already been earmarked for each organization. Because the fund-raiser surpassed its $100,000 goal, Lee’s family has increased the target to $300,000, which they’ll use to establish the Christina Yuna Lee Memorial Fund to “provide additional support to these organizations and others that were important to Christina.”
Lee’s gruesome murder at the hands of a homeless stranger shocked the city. The GoFundMe page recounts how Lee was returning home from a night out with friends early on Feb. 13, when Assamad Nash allegedly stalked her, entering her Chrystie St. apartment building and stabbing her more than 40 times. Horrified neighbors called police after hearing her screams.
A criminal complaint recounted how Nash forced his way into Lee’s sixth-floor apartment, where police found the slain designer naked from the waist up inside the bathroom and Nash hiding under her bed.
A yellow-handled knife was recovered at the scene, and the complaint alleged that Nash earlier feigned a woman’s voice from inside the apartment, insisting there was no need for the police.
Lee’s name has since been used as a rallying cry for cracking down on bail reform and violence against Asian-American women, but those closest to her remained quiet until now.
“Her death is part of an alarming pattern of unchecked, hateful violence against women, namely women of Asian descent and women of color that can no longer stand without consequence,” her sister wrote on GoFundMe.
“Christina was full of life. She radiated positivity, joy, and love. She supported her friends in everything that they did. She went above and beyond to make those she loved know she was there for them—never expecting anything in return. Her loss is an unfathomable tragedy that her loved ones and her community will struggle with for years to come.”
