Here's what Reggie Harris said on Facebook on this subject:

With all of the senseless loss of life in this and every year, this case strikes at my core and deeply wounds my heart.
I posted "The Talk", a few months ago.. a Norman Rockwell-ish pic of two Black parents talking to their young son about the necessary protocols that he should be aware of, whenever he found himself encountering the police. That post got about 4 days of activity on this page, with folks commenting all over the spectrum. Many were decrying the need for such a talk. Others agreed with the post and shared their own stories and thoughts. But as I shared then, my own mom had the talk with me, in lieu of my absent dad. And, I never forgot what she and others imparted to me...that while you may HAVE rights, staying alive to face another day is an important aspect and skill set of being Black in America. Ms. Bland followed her heart and stood her ground. God bless her!
While we cannot categorically say that State Trooper Brian Encinia was reacting on the basis of race, I can say that the lessons learned from my mom, and from years of traffic stops, tell me that breaking that protocol, set things in motion that cost her her life. Does that make her wrong for standing up for her rights? No!
Does that excuse the trooper his violation of her rights? No!
But as her family lays her to rest, my heart breaks for what might have been and for what we all still must face to end this madness.

I have two now-adult children who liked to provoke police, and both paid the price. One still does, and she gets locked up in a mental ward once a year as a result. The older one did this a lot when he was around twenty, but now he's 42 and past that stage. But I saw him in action - he felt he was in the right, and he just wouldn't let go of it. He had no need to provoke the police, but he still did it. He had to prove that the cops were the "bad guys, and so he provoked them. And so he ended up in court a few times and in jail once.

And yes, Janie, Prof. Stoughton offers excellent advice, and an excellent officer would very likely behave as Stoughton recommends. This officer didn't - but I'd describe him as a mediocre officer, not a bad one. Most employees of most employers are mediocre.

-Joe-