Aboriginal elders are calling for change to improve the outlook for their young people in the wake of violent protests over the death of 14-year-old Elijah Doughty in Western Australia's Goldfields.

Police have commended community members who called for calm during Tuesday's riots in Kalgoorlie, which erupted as a 55-year-old man faced court charged with the teenager's manslaughter.

Among those trying to placate the crowds was Aboriginal elder Trevor Donaldson, who ran out between police and protesters.

Mr Donaldson told ABC Goldfields WA he was acting on impulse.

"I felt there was a lot of raw anger, a lot of frustration," he said.

Mr Donaldson said he understood why the crowds reacted the way they did.

"We look at all these figures: high Aboriginal incarceration rate, high detention rate of our youth, high homelessness, high poverty, high suicide with our mob, high suspension rates in our schools, high deaths in custody, high unemployment, the list goes on.

"And you wonder why, we as a race of people, are feeling angry and frustrated?

"Whether you're black, white or otherwise, that's a young child's life that's been taken. That's the anger that comes, borne about on top of those other concerns and issues."

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Earlier this year, Mr Donaldson proposed an Aboriginal youth safe house be established in Kalgoorlie-Boulder following the suicide of his teenage nephew.

The teenager was one of at least five people in the Goldfields-Esperance region who took their own lives in the two months leading up to Christmas in 2015.

But Mr Donaldson said his proposals had fallen on deaf ears.

"I've been going out trying to promote a reconciliation plan on behalf of our people, going to trying to get a facility for our youth, trying to get a recreation centre here for our young people," he said.

"We're continually getting people telling us how to do business, 'this is what you should be doing', 'this is what we advise'. Well no — we're sick of sitting around tables having talk-fests which leads nowhere ultimately at the end of the day.

"Work with us, not for us. We have a lot of the solutions here ourselves."

Violence divides community

Elijah Doughty's death sparked riots in Kalgoorlie. ( Facebook: Elijah Doughty )

Aboriginal elder Aubrey Lynch kept his distance during Tuesday's riots, feeling any intervention would be hopeless.

"When people are all in that rage you can't stop them from doing whatever they want to do," he said.

"We don't like violence actually happening, because it's really buggering up our relationship with non-Aboriginal people.

"Here we are trying to build that relationship, and this kind of thing is going to happen, it's going to separate us all.

"What is there here for our youths?"

Aboriginal elder Bruce Smith said something needed to change in the community for the betterment of all people.

"The justice system that's going to serve [Aboriginal people] should be put right so that the future generation of our youths in this town, Goldfields and Boulder, are being protected.

"What is there in the City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder [for our youths]?"

Behavioural issues at high school

The violence on the city's main street follows a troublesome year at Kalgoorlie-Boulder Community High School.

More than 150 students were suspended in semester one, despite security guards being hired after term one when nearly 50 students were suspended in a three-week period.

A 13-year-old boy was charged last week after allegedly assaulting a female teacher, the third attack on a staff member at the school so far this year.

The behavioural issues prompted a damning review by the Education Department, which identified a lack of leadership, low morale and an aggressive but inconsistent approach to discipline as key problems.

The boy charged with assaulting a teacher is yet to enter a plea in court, but the Department said he will be schooled off-site once he had completed his 10-day suspension.

No improvement on juvenile crime: MP

Kalgoorlie MP Wendy Duncan agreed the justice system was failing young people in the town.

"What we've seen is frustration that the levels of juvenile crime and recidivism are not improving," the Nationals member told ABC Goldfields WA.

"These young children are not being served by churning through the system.

"There are agencies out there who are offering more productive and positive programs that will try and help these families and these young people find their place in society, and they're not being used and they're not being recognised."

Part of the problem was a lack of engagement with Aboriginal people, Ms Duncan added.

"The elders and the families, they have a very good idea of what's needed and nobody is listening to them," she said.

"Really what we need to do is all decide to take some responsibility for this. We need to all roll our sleeves up and help."