T. Milton Street Sr., former activist and politician, has died at 83

Thomas Milton Street Sr., 83, who made a name for himself as an activist fighting poverty and homelessness in Philadelphia and later served in the Pennsylvania House and Senate, died Monday after a yearslong battle with cancer.

The death of the embattled, “larger than life” politician was confirmed by his nephew, State Sen. Sharif Street, who said Mr. Street “visualized ways government could work for everyday folks by enacting change through policy regardless of political affiliation,” willing to literally fight for what he believed on at least one occasion, but always willing to reconcile with opponents.

“He fought with everybody at some point in time, but he could also get over it,” said Mr. Street’s nephew.

Born in 1939, Mr. Street was one of three brothers raised on a 110-acre farm near Swedeland in Montgomery County. His family followed a strict Seventh-day Adventist Church and came to Philadelphia for services. His first-ever protest was directed against the church for discrimination on gender and hiring, according to Mr. Street’s nephew.

The middle child with the biggest personality of the brothers, Mr. Street grew up to be a bombastic character with an eye for political spectacle — his passion for issues like affordable housing often making headlines, getting ejected from City Council on multiple occasions in the late 1970s, constantly butting heads with then-Mayor Frank Rizzo.

Mr. Street and his younger brother John, who would later serve two terms as Philadelphia’s mayor from 2000 to 2008, got their start as food vendors at Temple University. Linn Washington, a journalism professor and former reporter for the Philadelphia Daily News and Philadelphia Tribune, said they sold cheesesteaks for $1 and soda cans for a quarter. They would sue for equitable treatment of street vendors, alleging racism in how the city implemented vending policies.

A vocal supporter of affordable housing and revitalizing the city without pushing out its poorest residents, Mr. Street would go on to urge homeless people to take over abandoned homes and then fought the city and federal agencies that tried to evict them. In 1979, Mr. Street — then a Pennsylvania state representative — was arrested with other protesters for denouncing the way the city planned to use $64 million in federal community development funds, fearing the money would push out longtime residents in favor of investors.

“Milton knew how important it was to grab the attention of the media to make sure he could spread the debate broadly enough and deeply enough,” said Sharmain Matlock-Turner, CEO of the Urban Affairs Coalition.

Whether it was an issue of citywide concern or a hyperlocal problem, Mr. Street was all in for his response.

Some of Mr. Streets politics were “ahead of his time,” according to Washington, who reported on Mr. Street in the ’70s and’ 80s.

“Milton wanted to legalize marijuana in the ‘80s and not because he was a pothead, but he wanted to lower property taxes and use the money for public education,” said Washington.

Still, Mr. Street’s political career was a rocky one, winning only two of his campaigns and being voted out of the state Senate when, in 1980, he switched to the Republican Party — giving the GOP control of the chamber — in an effort to wield more power.

“He was a smart politician and was willing to negotiate with people on both sides of the aisle,” said Judith Robinson, a Democratic committee person in the 32nd Ward, not far from where Mr. Street once lived near 19th and Diamond Streets. “That was a rarity among African American politicians at the time.”

But the party switch was his downfall, she said.

Mr. Street would spend the next 35 years — off and on — trying to again win public office, as a Democrat, Republican, and independent.

That included a 2007 campaign for City Council while under federal indictment for not paying taxes on $3 million in income from a baggage-handling contract at Philadelphia International Airport. Mr. Street had named his company Notlim — “Milton” spelled backward — and was awarded the contract while John Street was mayor.

Milton Street served 26 months in prison for failing to file federal tax returns for three years.

Throughout the years Mr. Street pushed policies both populist and peculiar. He repeatedly suggested hiring 5,000 people to serve as neighborhood activists, cleaning and safeguarding streets. In 2015 he claimed the city could erect a large net to catch meteorites to sell for profit.

He became an Uber driver as politicians debated whether to legalize ridesharing and he tried to learn more.

His political allegiances were a constant variable too. Mr. Street met with then-presidential candidate Donald Trump in December 2015 and enthusiastically backed his campaign. That affection soon faded and in 2019 Mr. Street declared he would “rather remove a mosquito from my testicles with an ax” before supporting the president’s bid for a second term.

Mr. Street last made an attempt to run for office in 2020. He was serving as a Republican ward leader but planned to run as an independent in the mayor’s race, though he never filed nomination petitions.

In an interview with the Inquirer in January 2020, Mr. Street said he was diagnosed with prostate cancer in the lead-up to what would be to his final attempt to run for office. The cancer, said Mr. Street, had spread to the bones in his back, ribs, and hip.

While Mr. Street said he knew then his political career was over then, he remained active at the start of 2020, crediting cancer treatment. He was talking to young people about politics and asking for information on how to contact billionaire Tom Steyer’s presidential campaign to invite him to Philadelphia.

“I’m starting to feel like I might be able to live another 80 years,” Mr. Street said at the time.

Following his death, area officials lauded Mr. Street for his dedication.

The Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus called Mr. Street an entrepreneur who advocated for businesses like the ones he built. What’s more, the caucus described Mr. Street “as a mentor and as a friend to many.”

City Council President Darrell L. Clarke echoed the sentiment in a statement of his own, retelling the story of how he introduced himself to Mr. Street, who proceeded to invite him to community meetings on what’s now Cecil B. Moore Avenue.

“I went to those meetings, and I was impressed,” wrote Clarke. “Milton Street spoke truth to power — forcefully — and he was never afraid to confront an injustice, whenever and wherever he found it. I learned a lot from him.”

Mr. Street survived his three wives. He is survived by his three children, his younger brother (who was not immediately available for comment), as well as nieces and nephews.

Viewing and funeral services will be held on Thursday, Dec. 15, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. and Friday, Dec. 16 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Deliverance Evangelistic Church (2001 W. Lehigh Ave. in Philadelphia).