There are lots of originals who sell Real Change, and while Richard Smith is one in that sense of the word, he’s also an actual original — Smith started selling the paper at its founding in 1994.
After coming out from Indiana to work a well-paying job as an electrician, he got laid off. He found more work, but was laid off again. After that, Smith ended up on the street, where he encountered a vendor selling Real Change downtown. That vendor passed him a flyer with information about how to sign up, and the rest is history. ...