Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon ordered the withdrawal of National Guard troops on Thursday from the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson after nearly two weeks of mostly peaceful -- but sometimes violent -- protests.

A string of protests have been held in Ferguson in wake of the death of Mike Brown, an unarmed 18-year-old African-American who was fatally shot by a white police officer on Aug. 9. Although police say the teen reached for the officer's weapon, several witnesses say Brown was shot execution style while he was trying to surrender.

Since then, protesters have been rallying for justice for Brown through peaceful demonstrations. However, Gov. Nixon called on the National Guard on Monday in order to maintain order and restraint against the handful of protesters who committed violent acts against police, reports Reuters.

"I greatly appreciate the men and women of the Missouri National Guard for successfully carrying out the specific, limited mission of protecting the Unified Command Center so that law enforcement officers could focus on the important work of increasing communication within the community, restoring trust, and protecting the people and property of Ferguson," the Democratic governor said in a statement, according to USA Today.

Less people have been showing up to the daily and nightly demonstrations, and there have been significantly less arrests. According to authorities, police arrested six people Wednesday night, compared to the 50 people who were arrested Tuesday night and the 31 people arrested Monday night.

"We continue to see improvement," Nixon said in his statement.

"As we continue to see improvement, I have ordered the Missouri National Guard to begin a systematic process of withdrawing from the City of Ferguson."

"Things are de-escalating," said Roy Harris, a youth counselor in St. Louis.

"We are seeing the judicial process beginning," he said. "Voices are actually being heard."