The State : Protester Falls Into S.F. Bay

A protester who wanted to dramatize his cause by spending a week in a garbage can dangling from the Golden Gate Bridge fell 220 feet into the icy water and was nearly washed out to sea. Paul Alarab, 29, of Kensington, Calif., suffered collapsed lungs and three broken ribs but was hospitalized in satisfactory condition. He was plucked from a rock by the Coast Guard. “He’s lucky,” said his brother, Chris Alarab. “Now he has a second chance to give his message.” Paul Alarab said he wanted to draw attention to the plight of the old and infirm who, he complained, must stand in long lines in supermarkets and banks and are neglected by young people, the California Highway Patrol said. Alarab had equipped the 33-gallon garbage can with clothing, two jugs of water, a life vest and some political pamphlets. Fearing a bomb was in the garbage can, and not knowing about Alarab’s fall, authorities closed the bridge for 40 minutes. The CHP said it will seek a trespassing charge against Alarab.