On the corner of 61st and Dix Street N.E., Lashai McLean was murdered in July.
Friends and supporters adorned a tree near the scene of her murder with a big teddy bear and flowers as a memorial to McLean, 23. It's a memorial no longer -- it's been burned down.
The only thing that remains are charred flowers and some parts of a teddy bear.
Long-time transgender activist Earline Budd helped created that memorial. "I'm just torn," she says. "I'm just grief-stricken. Just the thought that somebody would do something to desecrate a monument, it sends a clear message of such hatred to our community."
The MPD has sent detectives to the scene. They've collected the charred teddy bear as well as the burned flowers, and have taken pictures. They may investigate this as a bias-related crime.
