Protesters from the Occupy DC movement and labor unions gather outside the American Conservative Union's annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) prior to an address by Republican U.S. presidential candidate Mitt Romney in Washington, F
Protesters from the Occupy DC movement and labor unions gather outside the American Conservative Union's annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington before an address by Republican U.S. presidential candidate Mitt Romney on Friday. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

Washington -- More than 500 Occupy movement demonstrators took to the Marriott Wardman Park to protest the CPAC 2012 Conservative Political Action Conference on Friday.

Sheet Metal Workers Local 100 members and hundreds of other unaffiliated people protested the multiday conservative conference. The demonstrators -- who, according to The Daily Caller were paid $60 to join the protest -- cheered about fighting back and not allowing union busting to continue.

I have nothing nice to say about Local 100 ...They just told me 'you wanna make sixty bucks? So c'mon,' the protester told The Daily Caller.

The demonstration was pretty civil, but that didn't stop the numerous police officers from trying to control every detail of the event. Police officers would not allow anyone onto the street, including media and conference attendees, as they also made sure the protesters did not come onto the host hotel's property.

The largely unorganized event drew an eclectic group of reporters, union protesters, and activists that seemingly show up to any protest no matter what the cause. One man held up a CPAC-inspired sign that read, Corrupt Politicians And Criminals, while spouting off about all of the money big businesses have given to the Republican presidential candidates.

Our country is not for sale, the protester told a throng of reporters. I'm not corporately sponsored, I'm just an American.

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