People of all faiths packed the Bridgeport Islamic Community Center on Friday afternoon, rallying after mass shootings at two mosques in New Zealand left dozens dead.

Rep. Jim Himes and Sen. Richard Blumenthal joined other local leaders at the event. Bridgeport Police Chief AJ Perez told the crowd his city was safe, and that the community could not allow itself to be defeated by hate.

The president of the community center, Khaled Elleithy, says killing one person is like killing all of humanity.

"All faiths should be protected and people should feel safe in their churches, in their synagogues, in their mosques," Elleithy says.

The Islamic Center said in a statement on Facebook it offers condolences to the people of New Zealand and says it cannot begin to understand this brutality against its Muslim brothers and sisters.