Culture

On the Streets With a Newspaper Vendor Trying to Sell His Story

A walk with Robert Williams, who sells the Street Sense paper made by and for the homeless in Washington, D.C.
Robert Williams selling the Street Sense newspaper in Washington, D.C.Tanvi Misra/CityLab

On The Job is a series of conversations with the people who keep neighborhoods running.

From the moment I meet him, it’s clear Robert Williams isn’t shy. Williams is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran. He’s also a writer, photographer, and filmmaker. That’s how he introduces himself when he’s out selling Street Sense, a biweekly newspaper about homelessness and poverty in Washington, D.C.