Activists say Memphis police officers were "too aggressive" with protesters Wednesday night.

Six people were arrested while protesting the police shooting of Martavious Banks, 25.

Theryn Bond, 32, was one of those arrested and charged with disorderly conduct and obstruction of a roadway. Bond said she received bruises while being put in handcuffs.

Videos of the arrest of protester Barbara Buress have circulated on social media, with watchers questioning the officer's use of force.

Watch:Footage of Barbara Buress being tackled by MPD

According to police, Buress struggled against two officers that tackled her to the ground, kicking and striking one officer in the face, causing it to swell.

Bond, Buress and several others blocked Elvis Presley Boulevard near Gill Avenue that night, while some observed nearby. They were given a 5-second warning to clear the street.

"Blocking a highway or passageway is illegal," said Louis Brownlee, spokesman for the MPD. "If someone chooses to violate the law, an arrest will be made, especially when the violator has been requested to move out of the roadway."

Brownlee also said MPD "respects and welcomes" people expressing their First Amendment rights in a "law-abiding manner."

Bond said police should reconsider how the department defines respect.

"In no form or fashion would I consider tackling a woman of color in the current climate of this country respectful," Bond said. "I don’t consider manhandling and leaving bruises on a woman’s arm respect either.”

Bond and others were later released from jail.

Protesters also complained that officers blocked an area during another protest earlier that night, where more than 60 people gathered along Airways Boulevard.

Police barricaded streets going to the Memphis Parkway Depot in a brief standoff between protesters and officers.

In recent years, protesters with Black Lives Matter, Fight for 15 and related groups complained the police department interfered with free speech demonstrations. A federal trial over Memphis police surveillance of activists took place in August, but the judge has not yet issued a ruling.

Pastor Earle J. Fisher, an activist in the city, said he was one of the activists watched by MPD.

He expressed dissatisfaction with how police arrested local protesters Wednesday night. Fisher said tension has been "building up" from past demonstrations.

"There have been a series of events of protests where we have seen law enforcement treat protesters with a high level of violent aggression. But we only see this when the protesters are predominantly people of color," said Fisher.

"We see this tension increase every time the protests are centered around police violence and police brutality, and the inadequate efforts to provide community-style policing."

Three police officers have been relieved of duty since the shooting of Banks, pending the outcome of the investigation. The officer who shot Banks did not have his body camera operating during the event, Police Director Michael Rallings has said. A police spokesperson, however, has said it’s unclear if he switched it off or never had it turned on.

Rallings said two additional officers who were involved in a traffic stop before the shooting deactivated either their body-worn cameras or in-car video systems during a pursuit.

Police say officers stopped Banks in a car near the intersection of Gill Avenue and Pillow Street. Banks drove off during the first traffic stop, according to police, and was stopped again nearby after hitting a curb.

Police say Banks was shot by an officer during a confrontation after fleeing on foot.

The police department said a gun was found in the area but has not released details.

Banks' mother and witnesses contested police accounts, saying Banks was running away when he was shot. Banks' family disputed claims that he was armed. Banks remained in critical condition Friday.

Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland said Friday that the city "will get to the bottom" of Banks' shooting.

The names of the officers involved in the shooting will be released after a "debriefing process," said Brownlee.