html_stripper.py

# http://stackoverflow.com/questions/753052/strip-html-from-strings-in-python

from HTMLParser import HTMLParser

class MLStripper(HTMLParser):
    def __init__(self):
        self.reset()
        self.fed = []
    def handle_data(self, d):
        self.fed.append(d)
    def get_data(self):
        return ''.join(self.fed)

def strip_tags(html):
    s = MLStripper()
    s.feed(html)
    return s.get_data()

test = ''' <p class="story-body-text story-content" data-para-count="232" data-total-count="5231" itemprop="articleBody" id="story-continues-6">Chief Belmar said the initial, hands-off tactics by the police were intended to allow protesters to stage peaceful demonstrations, but he said that the situation ultimately grew so unstable that it required a more forceful approach.</p><p class="story-body-text story-content" data-para-count="257" data-total-count="5488" itemprop="articleBody">But the Rev. Waltrina Middleton, who traveled here from Chicago to help maintain peace, blamed the police for aggression. “I think they’re going over the top,” she said. “A lot of what you see is a response to the aggressive nature of the police.”</p><p class="story-body-text story-content" data-para-count="245" data-total-count="5733" itemprop="articleBody">A variety of businesses in the Ferguson area, including nail shops, a Walgreens and a public storage facility, went up in flames. Firefighters, the police said, could not easily reach burning businesses because the conditions were too dangerous.</p><p class="story-body-text story-content" data-para-count="181" data-total-count="5914" itemprop="articleBody">Gunfire rang out frequently throughout the night — sometimes sounding like it came from an automatic weapon — forcing protesters and reporters along the strip to rush for cover.</p><figure id="2014-11-24-ferguson-map" class="interactive interactive-embedded  limit-small layout-flex-medium"> '''

strip_tags(test)