A group named Call to Action on Puerto Rico, which is a union of Puerto Ricans living in the mainland United States, organized the demonstration and ordered its participants to adopt "rebellious and militant" behavior for the event, according to Caribbean Business. The protests descended on San Juan’s iconic Roberto Clemente Coliseum and demanded the US government halt its plan to create a federal financial control board for Puerto Rico.
Predictably, the protest quickly turned into a riot: local media reports at the time indicated it was marked by "aggressive" behavior and ended in fights.
In September of 2016, Cruz admitted that she and the San Juan People’s Assembly had financed the violent protest to the tune of $20,000, according to Tu Noticia Puerto Rico. Puerto Rican public officials and media alike were furious at the revelation.
Senator Itzamar Pena Ramirez denounced Mayor Cruz for misusing public funds and demanded she started respecting taxpayer money. Moreover, local San Juan television could hardly believe the city’s chief elected official had the audacity to spend her constituents’ money on violent protests:
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