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Step 1, Get Attention

A panhandler in Greensboro, N.C., is getting a lot of attention for the sign he has been holding up to passersby: “No Cash No Problem, Now Accept All Major Credit Cards.” A local TV station tracked the man down; he wants to be known as “Turtle” — and he says he’s been homeless for 12 years. “It’s a joke,” Turtle told a reporter, because that’s better than holding up a “depressing” sign about homelessness. “How am I going to accept credits cards, when I’m living in a tent, buddy?” He was surprised that so many people thought his sign was real — enough that the TV station investigated. The station contacted police to see if the sign was legal, but the police didn’t really know. “The sign is non-specific,” said the police department’s attorney. “It leans towards an implied solicitation, but that’s an ‘eye-of-the-beholder’ interpretation. He may be soliciting for a church or charity, too.” Panhandlers, the attorney added, “are licensed and regulated for public safety purposes.” (RC/WFMY Greensboro) ...That attorney’s hour of research and statement writing: $485 — or enough for “Turtle” to eat all winter.