Democratic presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg sought to reassure the Muslim community of South Bend, the Indiana city of which he is mayor, with a letter following Friday’s terror attack at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand.

In an open note that Buttigieg shared to Twitter after an alleged white supremacist gunman killed at least 49 people, he said “this entire City has its arms around you, in love and peace” and “we support you as you practice your faith here in this community, our community, this home we share.”

Buttigieg hailed the diversity of the city as “its strength” and said it “would be poorer without you.”

He also explained why South Bend “very much needs you at a time like this, because you help to demonstrate the values and desires that we all have in common.”

He concluded:

“You are our teachers and our doctors; our neighbors and our friends. We all live here as one, and whether you grew up right here in South Bend or whether this is your first year in America, you have an equal claim on the blessings of life in this community, and a great deal to contribute. And so we are thankful to count you among us.”

Read Buttigieg’s full letter below: