Nelly, local DJs join push for calm in Ferguson, Missouri

FERGUSON, Mo. - Days after the shooting death of teenager Michael Brown, the National Guard is in Ferguson.

Overnight, mostly peaceful protests turned into a tense standoff, with police firing tear gas and stun grenades at protesters.

The chaos erupted despite calls by community members to restore peace, CBS News correspondent Mark Strassmann reports.

Nearly 100 ministers marched the Ferguson streets Monday night with the hope of leading a path to peace.

"Our goal is to speak some calmness to take some of the heat out of this situation and to encourage people to wait while the wheels of justice move," said Bishop Edwin Bass of the Empowered Church.

One woman armed demonstrators with roses to honor Brown.

"Something to lighten up, you know, make everybody smile out here, don't be so mad and angry," said local resident Ebony.

And with Ferguson perched on a national stage, rapper and St. Louis native Nelly urged the crowd to stand up but not feed into stereotypes.

"To show them who they think we are, that's working backwards," Nelly said.

The call for calm can be heard from the streets to the airwaves.

"All we want is peace in our streets," said DJ Jowcol Dolby, or Boogie D to his 450,000 listeners on local station Hot 104.1.

"We're not immune to what's happening down in Ferguson or West Florissant. We live here," Boogie D said.

In between the latest hits, the station opens phone lines to callers.

"We are not deterred. We are not broken. And we are Mike Brown," one caller said.

The station also airs public service announcements trying to minimize the violence, which Boogie D blames on a small minority.

"Now I just think it's some really bad individuals taking advantage of an unfortunate situation," he said. "And to me they're kind of hijacking the message of what those good protests have been doing for the last week or so."