Really sorry to read/see this incident on the news yesterday.
We need to keep in mind that the police are ‘human’ and/or may use poor judgement that may be influenced by numerous other factors... racism, a problematic previous stop, loss of another (officer, family, friend), etc.
The old adage, if you get stopped by a cop for any reason, simply follow the cops direction whether you feel you did nothing wrong or not. Yes sir, No sir is what I’ve taught my kids... it seemed to work but, I also recognize they are not of color and probably not going to experience reverse racism if they follow the directions of the police.
There are always steps one can take after a questionable stop (file a formal misconduct complaint to the agency, to your elected officials in the district, even the press, etc.). There won’t be a “pay day” for following problematic directions but the chances of not being pepper sprayed (or worse) will likely get one home a lot faster than a no-win argument or disregard of a lawful order (lawful in the sense the officer is taking the first step in investigating or resolving a possible infraction).
No one wins when one of the parties is ‘obstructing justice.’