Johnita P. Due is assistant general counsel for CNN. The opinions expressed in this commentary are hers.

(CNN) I will always remember when things turned. I was 12 years old, and my younger sister and I were with our parents attending a peaceful demonstration in downtown Miami near the courthouse. We were there to protest the acquittal of four police officers in the beating death of unarmed motorcyclist Arthur McDuffie. I had learned the word "acquittal" just that day. It meant they wouldn't be held responsible.

Community leaders were gathered at the front, speaking to a crowd that was in shock and full of anger and despair. The trial had been covered extensively, and nobody could believe that the fatal beating -- with the extent of the physical wounds to McDuffie's head and body -- could be justified or excused. I started to hear rumblings coming from around the perimeter of the immediate crowd. There was shouting and cursing. Bottle throwing. Then a car was turned over and set on fire. That was Miami 35 years ago, but it could just as easily have been Baltimore this week.

The Miami riots of 1980 were the first major "race riots" since the wave of riots spread across the nation in the 1960s.

Harlem 1964: Police shooting of 15-year-old James Powell. Watts 1965: Arrest of 21-year-old Marquette Frye for drunken driving. Newark 1967: Police beating of John Smith while under arrest. Detroit 1967: Police raid on a "blind pig" after-hours bar. Then the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, and Baltimore and 125 other cities erupted in flames.

The immediate catalysts for the waves of riots in the 1960s before the death of Dr. King were police action, or, more specifically, perceived unjust police action

That was true in Miami in 1980 after the acquittal of the police officers. And the same in Los Angeles in 1992 after the acquittal of police officers for the beating of motorist Rodney King. Wednesday marks the 23rd anniversary of the start of the Los Angeles riots

And now we have Baltimore 2015, with the death of suspect Freddie Gray in police custody.

My parents were leaders and participants in the nonviolent civil rights movement, and they raised me to understand that youths were the key to the movement. It was the images of young people all over the country -- often facing physical danger, discipline from their parents and suspension from school -- that propelled the civil rights movement into the national spotlight.

Juxtapose decades-old images of youths being hosed down by police during nonviolent demonstrations in Birmingham and Selma with Tuesday's images of Baltimore youths throwing rocks at police, and you wonder what has happened.

A child's questions

As a 12-year-old girl in Miami, I didn't understand how people could injure and even kill others and destroy their neighborhoods, and risk going to jail, by rioting. I was afraid because I didn't see my father for days as he and other community leaders walked the streets to try to restore calm. I was also afraid that such senseless violence could only derail the legitimate causes of the African-American community, causes historically advanced by nonviolent civil disobedience and through legislative channels.

But two months ago, I agreed to moderate a panel at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights called "Riot -- The Voice of the Unheard?" The occasion was to mark the Atlanta premiere of "Detroit '67," a play written by Dominique Morisseau and directed by Kamilah Forbes that chronicled the journey of a family as they lived through the turmoil of the Detroit '67 riot, including the joy and love they found with one another.

The play and the panel were programmed by Kenny Leon's True Colors Theatre Company, a nonprofit devoted to presenting artistic interpretations with diverse voices so that individuals and institutions can have a shared platform in their quest for understanding in American society. Inspired by the mission, I had recently joined the board. Although pegged to the past, the purpose of the panel was to examine how current events relating to police actions against African-American men could potentially lead to rioting and what could be done to prevent it.

I learned that some questioned whether riots are actually purposeless and uncontrolled violence, or whether they are purposeful uprisings against individuals and institutions.

I learned that those who participate in riots often feel hopeless and dehumanized, both as the victims of police action against them that triggered the riots and as perpetrators of violence during riots.

I learned that riots in the 1960s played a role in advancing the civil rights agenda, often by galvanizing local and national government officials to work with peaceful community, church and civil rights leaders to address the root causes of riots. This is a controversial part of our civil rights history that has been sanitized.

'It is a time for action'

At the conclusion of the 1967 Detroit riot, President Lyndon Johnson condemned the violence but said in his address to the nation that: "This is not a time for angry reaction. It is a time for action, starting with legislative action to improve the life in our cities. The strength and promise of the law are the surest remedies for tragedy in the street. ..."

His administration convened the Kerner Commission to examine the 1965-68 riots, and its findings were that racism had led to joblessness, poverty, a lack of political power, unfair housing, police brutality and inferior schools.

After the beating of Rodney King in Los Angeles, the Christopher Commission was established and concluded that racial profiling and excessive force, unjust treatment in the criminal justice system, poor housing, and the lack of jobs and education were triggers for the riots.

After all of these riots, the affected city, state and national governments enacted plans and programs to address some of these underlying conditions.

Maybe the Baltimore youths involved in the riots felt the way one youth did in Watts in 1965. As recounted in "The Great Rebellion" by Kenneth Stahl, Dr. King went to Watts to try to calm tensions, and a hostile youth said to him: "We won."

King challenged him: "How have you won? Homes are destroyed, blacks are dead in the streets, stores you shop from for food and clothes are destroyed."

The young man replied, "We won because we made the whole world pay attention ... the police chief and mayor had never been here. We made them come."

'The language of the unheard'

Dr. King would say near the end of his life: "It is not enough for me to stand before you tonight and condemn riots. It would be morally irresponsible for me to do that without, at the same time, condemning the contingent, intolerable conditions that exist in our society. These conditions are the things that cause individuals to feel that they have no other alternative than to engage in violent rebellions to get attention. And I must say tonight that a riot is the language of the unheard."

When I learned that Baltimore high school students planned a purge based on the movie "The Purge," in which people were legally absolved for their anarchistic crimes, it suddenly made sense. They thought they wouldn't be held responsible for their crimes. They thought they would be absolved -- a word not much different from the word "acquitted" I learned the day of the Miami riots. But they got it wrong.

They will forever live the repercussions of their actions, regardless of the impetus.

Photos: Baltimore protests Photos: Baltimore protests People hold hands during a rally at Baltimore City Hall on Sunday, May 3. The death of Freddie Gray, who died in police custody, sparked rioting in Baltimore and protests across the country Hide Caption 1 of 68 Photos: Baltimore protests Members of the National Guard board a truck at an armory staging area on May 3 in Baltimore. After a night of relatively peaceful protests, the city lifted a curfew , the National Guard is preparing its exit and a mall that had been a flashpoint in the protests has been reopened. Hide Caption 2 of 68 Photos: Baltimore protests Medics take a man away after police pepper-sprayed him on Saturday, May 2, in Baltimore's Sandtown neighborhood where Freddie Gray was arrested in April. Hide Caption 3 of 68 Photos: Baltimore protests Police detain a man on May 2 in Baltimore's Sandtown neighborhood. Hide Caption 4 of 68 Photos: Baltimore protests Protesters hold signs on May 2 in the Sandtown neighborhood. Hide Caption 5 of 68 Photos: Baltimore protests Protesters march from the Gilmor Homes housing community, where Freddie Gray was arrested, to City Hall on Saturday, May 2, in Baltimore. Hide Caption 6 of 68 Photos: Baltimore protests Police in riot gear enforce a 10 p.m. curfew and clear Baltimore streets of protesters and media on Friday, May 1. Hide Caption 7 of 68 Photos: Baltimore protests U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Maryland, helps clear Baltimore streets of protesters on May 1. Hide Caption 8 of 68 Photos: Baltimore protests Demonstrators celebrate the announcement that six officers were charged May 1 in Gray's death. Hide Caption 9 of 68 Photos: Baltimore protests Demonstrators march through the streets of Baltimore after the charges against the officers were announced May 1. Hide Caption 10 of 68 Photos: Baltimore protests Police on horseback block a Baltimore street on May 1. Hide Caption 11 of 68 Photos: Baltimore protests A demonstrator celebrates in Baltimore the charges were announced on May 1. Hide Caption 12 of 68 Photos: Baltimore protests A member of the National Guard stands outside Baltimore City Hall as protesters gather on Wednesday, April 29. Hide Caption 13 of 68 Photos: Baltimore protests High school and college students march from Baltimore's Penn Station to City Hall on April 29. Hide Caption 14 of 68 Photos: Baltimore protests A community organizer later identified as Joseph Kent paces in front of riot police with his hands up during a curfew in Baltimore on Tuesday, April 28. Moments later, he was seen being arrested by police live on CNN . Kent's lawyer said on April 30 that his client had been released from jail. While some protesters defied the curfew and faced off with police, demonstrations Tuesday were largely peaceful. Hide Caption 15 of 68 Photos: Baltimore protests State Sen. Catherine E. Pugh embraces a protester while urging the crowd to disperse ahead of the 10 p.m. curfew. Hide Caption 16 of 68 Photos: Baltimore protests People attempt to stop protesters from approaching a police line on April 28. Hide Caption 17 of 68 Photos: Baltimore protests A Baltimore police captain tries to calm a protester on April 28. Hide Caption 18 of 68 Photos: Baltimore protests Two women sweep up the streets in Baltimore -- reflected in the broken window of a storefront on April 28. See more photos of the cleanup efforts. Hide Caption 19 of 68 Photos: Baltimore protests A band plays music during protests on April 28 in Baltimore. Hide Caption 20 of 68 Photos: Baltimore protests A boy in Baltimore offers water to a police officer on April 28. Hide Caption 21 of 68 Photos: Baltimore protests Jerrie Mckenny, left, and her sister Tia Sexton embrace as demonstrators hold hands and sing the hymn "Amazing Grace" in Baltimore on April 28. Hide Caption 22 of 68 Photos: Baltimore protests Demonstrators stand in front of a police line and call for peace after a bottle was thrown on April 28. Hide Caption 23 of 68 Photos: Baltimore protests Maryland National Guardsmen patrol the streets on April 28. Hide Caption 24 of 68 Photos: Baltimore protests The remains of a senior center smolder on April 28. Riots broke out Monday, April 27, after Freddie Gray's funeral Hide Caption 25 of 68 Photos: Baltimore protests Police retreat from burned-out cars in an intersection on Monday, April 27. Hide Caption 26 of 68 Photos: Baltimore protests Firefighters respond to a burning building during the riots late April 27. Hide Caption 27 of 68 Photos: Baltimore protests A police officer walks by a burning building on April 27. Hide Caption 28 of 68 Photos: Baltimore protests Police stand guard on April 27. Hide Caption 29 of 68 Photos: Baltimore protests Protesters climb on a destroyed Baltimore Police car in the street near the corner of Pennsylvania and North avenues on April 27. Hide Caption 30 of 68 Photos: Baltimore protests A mixture of milk and water rolls down a man's chest after he was pepper sprayed by the Baltimore Police April 27. Hide Caption 31 of 68 Photos: Baltimore protests A man rides a bicycle through heavy smoke emitting from a nearby store on fire April 27. Hide Caption 32 of 68 Photos: Baltimore protests A man shouts for calm as protesters clash with police April 27. Hide Caption 33 of 68 Photos: Baltimore protests Police carry an injured officer from the streets near Mondawmin Mall in Baltimore on April 27. Hide Caption 34 of 68 Photos: Baltimore protests People carrying goods leave a CVS pharmacy near Pennsylvania and North avenues on April 27. Hide Caption 35 of 68 Photos: Baltimore protests A demonstrator raises his fist as police stand in formation on April 27. Hide Caption 36 of 68 Photos: Baltimore protests Armored cars drive down Pennsylvania Avenue as looters break into shops on April 27. Hide Caption 37 of 68 Photos: Baltimore protests People lock arms and form a line opposing police at the corner of Pennsylvania and North avenues on April 27. Hide Caption 38 of 68 Photos: Baltimore protests Police form a barrier between protesters and a burning CVS being attended to by firefighters on April 27. Hide Caption 39 of 68 Photos: Baltimore protests People carry goods out of a CVS pharmacy on April 27. Hide Caption 40 of 68 Photos: Baltimore protests A police vehicle burns April 27. Hide Caption 41 of 68 Photos: Baltimore protests A police officer throws an object at protesters on April 27. Hide Caption 42 of 68 Photos: Baltimore protests A man carries items from a store as police vehicles burn on April 27. Hide Caption 43 of 68 Photos: Baltimore protests A police officer checks on a man who was injured on April 27. Hide Caption 44 of 68 Photos: Baltimore protests A police officer is carried to safety after being hit in the head with a rock during the riot on April 27. Hide Caption 45 of 68 Photos: Baltimore protests A police officer uses pepper spray on rioters on April 27. Hide Caption 46 of 68 Photos: Baltimore protests Police officers push back a protester on April 27. Hide Caption 47 of 68 Photos: Baltimore protests Police react during the riot on April 27. Hide Caption 48 of 68 Photos: Baltimore protests Baltimore police officers in riot gear look toward protesters near Mondawmin Mall on April 27. Hide Caption 49 of 68 Photos: Baltimore protests Baltimore Police Commissioner Anthony Batts chases away protesters in a parking lot on April 27. Hide Caption 50 of 68 Photos: Baltimore protests A woman abandons her car in the middle of an intersection as Baltimore Police officers clash with protesters outside the Mondawmin Mall in Baltimore on April 27. Hide Caption 51 of 68 Photos: Baltimore protests Police handle the protesters during a riot on April 27. Hide Caption 52 of 68 Photos: Baltimore protests A demonstrator taunts police on April 27. Hide Caption 53 of 68 Photos: Baltimore protests Protesters stand off with police during a march in honor of Gray in Baltimore on Saturday, April 25. Hide Caption 54 of 68 Photos: Baltimore protests A protester throws a barricade at a bar near Oriole Park at Camden Yards after a rally on April 25. Hide Caption 55 of 68 Photos: Baltimore protests Protesters chase after a car as it drives in reverse after the rally on April 25. Hide Caption 56 of 68 Photos: Baltimore protests A protester breaks a store window after the rally in Baltimore on April 25. Hide Caption 57 of 68 Photos: Baltimore protests Protesters get into a shoving match with police during a march downtown on April 25. Hide Caption 58 of 68 Photos: Baltimore protests Protesters and police square off April 25. Hide Caption 59 of 68 Photos: Baltimore protests Protesters drive through the Camden Yards area on April 25. Hide Caption 60 of 68 Photos: Baltimore protests Members of the Baltimore Police Department stand guard Thursday, April 23, outside the department's Western District station during a protest. Hide Caption 61 of 68 Photos: Baltimore protests A police officer films protesters from the steps of the Western District station on April 23. Hide Caption 62 of 68 Photos: Baltimore protests Empowerment Temple Pastor Jamal Harrison Bryant speaks in front of City Hall in Baltimore on April 23. Hide Caption 63 of 68 Photos: Baltimore protests Demonstrators put their fists in the air during a protest outside the Baltimore police's Western District station on Wednesday, April 22. Hide Caption 64 of 68 Photos: Baltimore protests Hundreds of demonstrators march toward the Western District station on April 22. Hide Caption 65 of 68 Photos: Baltimore protests People march through the streets of Baltimore on April 22. Hide Caption 66 of 68 Photos: Baltimore protests Demonstrators argue with Baltimore officers during the protest on April 22. Hide Caption 67 of 68 Photos: Baltimore protests A woman is comforted during the protest on April 22. Hide Caption 68 of 68

But the Rev. Jamal Bryant got it right when he said he would open his Empowerment Temple AME Church in Baltimore to youths who would not be in school so he could teach them the power of nonviolence to change society.

That power was evident after the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and the decision not to indict the officer who killed him. Those protests were mostly peaceful. And the government responded -- not out of fear of violence, but because of a desire to change the conditions that led to the protests.

After several months of investigation, the far-reaching Justice Department report on Ferguson issued in March concluded that the use of policing to raise revenue, combined with a systemic racial bias, had led to a pattern and practice of discrimination and Fourth, 14th, Sixth and First Amendment rights violations against African-Americans in Ferguson. The report made recommendations that the Ferguson Police Department, as well as other departments across the country, should enact to improve police relations in communities of color.

The riots in Baltimore have rightfully been quashed, but the voices of nonviolent protesters continue to be heard.