The Rev. Clinton Stancil read the clergy’s letter at Friday’s gathering.

He said the group was not advocating for violence, favoring “disruption but not destruction.”

“We don’t condone violence, but there will be mass disruption if we can’t get justice,” said Stancil, of the Wayman AME Church in St. Louis.

“By delaying the verdict you have built up pressure in this city, and when you build up enough pressure, that pressure needs somewhere to go,” Stancil said. “We are trying to make sure that it does not burst and explode out into the city, but if it does, it’s not our fault.”

After reading the letter aloud, a few participants went to the Carnahan Courthouse where they taped a copy of the letter to the door of the judge’s office and slid a copy under the door to the courtroom. They also held hands in a circle and prayed.

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