CINCINNATI -- Abubaker Amry said he and his neighbors don't interact much beyond a cordial "Hello," so the note someone left him Friday came as a surprise.
Amry has lived in the United States for nearly four decades. He owns Mount Olive Market on Short Vine and has a home in Westwood.
He came to America from Libya in 1978 for an education. He raised his five children here -- "my daughter, she doesn't know any other place" -- and like many Muslim Americans, says he grew worried by President Donald Trump's rhetoric during the heat of a campaign.
"We don't know if he's just saying that ... or if it'll be true," Amry said.
So the day Trump was sworn into office, one of his neighbors in Westwood left this in his mailbox:
Dear Neighbors,
Today begins a new stage for our country. No matter what happens, please know there are still a lot of people who will fight for your right to practice your religion, to continue your lives without discrimination. You are welcome in our neighborhood and if you need anything - please knock on our door.
"It's a lot," Amry said. "I mean, there's no way I could express my feelings when I got that note."
Amry said the act of kindness has changed his mind a lot.
"Even when I was driving the next day to my work, I looked at the people on the street totally different," Amry said. "I look at everyone like as I would the person who wrote this note like this. Even the rude ones."
The Amry family. Photo provided.
Amry's niece, who lives out of state, tweeted a photo of the note, which quickly went viral.
After the Trump inauguration, some neighbors left this letter on my uncle's door in Cincinnati, Ohio. pic.twitter.com/jnlXewv7ej
— Hend Amry (@LibyaLiberty) January 21, 2017
Amry said he wasn't sure if his neighbors would want to be identified, though he knows who they are.
"This is the other side of America," Amry said. "This is the best, best, best experience."
