I get that you're probably a nice person and being nice to cops is generally a good idea. If you don't start off confrontational, things will go better. But I think you're severely misunderstanding the fundamental underlying principle that is wrong with these stops, and why people intentionally choose to not comply with them: People have the right to travel freely around without going through "papers, please" type checkpoints. Unless your behavior meets the legal requirements for a "terry stop" (google it), you should not encounter arbitrarily placed law enforcement checkpoints on public roads. The people who are fighting for this are standing up for the constitution and bill of rights.
These checkpoints are directly in violation of the supreme Court case Delaware v. Prouse.
I get why they're protesting. I'm answering for what one should do if they just want to go on their way and not get into trouble.
It's probably not very obvious for most people that he did something wrong as soon as he refused to identify himself (though the cops appear to have made their own mistakes, as well).
These checkpoints are directly in violation of the supreme Court case Delaware v. Prouse.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delaware_v._Prouse