On the 20th of Jaunary, Move to Amend, backed by Occupy protesters from many Occupy's took over the Supreme Court steps for the second time in three days. Move to Amend was there to propose a 28th Amendment to the US Constitutionn to overturn Citizens United, the case that legalized unlimited corporate campaign cash in US politics.
Police had set metal barricades before the steps to prevent a repeat of Tuesday night's storming of the Supreme Court steps. It didn't work.

After an hour-long rally, the crowd crossed second street and pressed in against the defensive line the police had set up.

Barricades were torn apart, cops pushed up the lower steps one at a time, and after just over an hour of standoff the crowd suddenly stormed the plaza and seized the high steps, charging all the way to the doors.

This time around, the high steps to the ceremonial doorway were taken during businesss hours. I do not know if the court was in session, but the next escalations after this would by occupying the hallway and finally the Supreme courtroom itself.

Neither of these was on the menu for the 20th, but several undercover cops decided that fighting WAS on the menu. Cops moved up the steps from the side after maybe 5-10 minutes unchalleged-and then there was a sudden swirling fight. The first fight ended after a group of protesters who moved and fought like DC's best anarchists dragged someone physically down the stairs and away from the crowd. Another person-out of my sight-had at the same time been tackled on the stairs and was down.

That the person photographed and videoed on the stairs as starting the fight is a cop is being treated as absolutely confirmed by the fact that he was able to move around freely behind police lines. I do not know the situation of the person dragged back down the stairs-away from the cops and while resisting-by protesters.

The confirmed undercover paid for getting another protester tackled by either tripping or getting himself tackled as well by protesters on the steps before managing to break free.

Shortly before the first skirmishes, I heard a police warning that turned out to be the SECOND warning. The first warning apparently was the one given faintly, prior to the charge that took the upper steps! Cops arrested a number of people, one at a time, by suddenly grabbing them from the topmost line as they slowly pushed down the stairs, one step at a time, reversing the tactic used by protesters to get up the low steps.

As the cops pushed back down the steps, up to five individuals were identified by protesters as being undercover cops. Some were able to move freely behind police lines, confirming their status as undercovers. Some made no attempt to deny it, and one of them started another round of violence. There were bursts of roughness at seemingly random intervals as police pushed the crowd back down the steps.

Total arrests are estimated at 10 or 11 as of 3:51 PM Friday, arrestees were reported to be taken to 101 M st SW, and there are worries they may be held from today (Friday) all the way to Monday before being released.

UPDATE It is now being reported (11PM Friday night) that they will be seen in court Saturday.