UPDATE: Striking janitors trampled in Houston [VIDEO]

UPDATE at bottom of full post.

In Houston on Friday a group of janitors, peacefully protesting their paltry $5/hour wages, were brutally trampled by police horses (video, right).

The protesters were subsequently arrested and bail was set at $888,888. No, the cat didn't get hold of the "8" key -- you read that correctly. It was later reduced to $1,000, but the message was sent.

According to an SEIU press release: "People arraigned on murder charges have had bail set as low as $30,000."

A snippet from the testimony of Anna Denise Solis, an organizer arrested at the protest. Read the whole thing after the jump:

We sat down in the intersection and the horses came immediately. It was really violent. They arrested us, and when we got to jail, we were pretty beat up. Not all of us got the medical attention we needed. The worst was a protester named Julia, who is severely diabetic. We kept telling the guards about her condition but they only gave her a piece of candy. During roll call, she started to complain about light-headedness. Finally she just collapsed unconscious on the floor. It was like she just dropped dead. The guard saw it but just kept going through the roll. Susan ran over there and took her pulse while the other inmates were yelling for help, saying we need to call somebody. The medical team strolled over, taking their own sweet time. She was unconscious for like 4 or 5 minutes.

If I were Chevron, Exxon, and Shell Oil - all of whom make billions and any of whom could end the strike - I would be nervous that Henry Waxman is asking you to intervene. A few million dollars in extra salary and health care benefits for the people cleaning your offices is a really small price to pay to prevent Waxman from really scrutinizing your business practices. He plays hardball, he dislikes corruption, and he's pushing global warming legislation.