Activists ask protesters to clear Ferguson streets

FERGUSON, Mo. (AP) — Leaders of the Nation of Islam and other black activist groups working to calm tensions in Ferguson are asking protesters to clear the streets of the St. Louis suburb at sunset amid the National Guard’s arrival.

Organizers from the New Black Panther Party, Black Lawyers for Justice and other groups joined St. Louis-area community activists Monday to again call for restraint on the part of protesters seething over the police shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown.

They also condemned Missouri Governor Jay Nixon’s decision to summon the National Guard, which they fear could escalate the violence.

The call to clear the streets came as police accelerated their own crowd control efforts Monday, including the blocking of access to the burned-out QuikTrip convenience store that has become the hub of demonstrations.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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