Reggie Boston in 2022.
Reggie Boston: Neighborhood OG ‘Addicted to Fishing’
Meet Reggie. Reginald “Reggie” Boston—a.k.a. OG Boston—grew up in Milwaukee’s Franklin Heights neighborhood in the 1970s. In 2020 he bought a house on 29th Street just a block from Melvina Park.
“I ain’t going nowhere,” Reggie says. “I’m here.”
Born in 1966, Reggie has put down roots in the same neighborhood where his dad once worked for nearby A.O. Smith and where he still knows friends and neighbors from growing up.
“It’s all homeowners and everybody watching out for everybody, so we don’t really have a lot of problems over here [on his block],” he says. “When you have problems is when you rent your house out. Some people, just all they want is the money.”
His friend gave him a knit cap celebrating his “OG” status. OG is slang for Original Gangster, a term which has evolved to imply a cool reverence for the old guard. Reggie adopts his role with a hearty laugh and a desire to be a positive resource for area kids.
He laments the citywide problem of car thefts, reckless driving, and gun violence. Personally, he believes stiffer sentencing for youth involved in crimes would deter other kids from making poor choices that destroy theirs or others’ lives.
Reggie also looks forward to the renovation to Melvina Park expected in late 2023.
“I’m hoping this park does something for the good, and not draw the bull,” Reggie reflects. “We got some OGs around here, so we’re going to patrol around.”
Reggie has fond memories of the park over the years. He remembers some great basketball games played there and hopes to help bring back basketball tournaments that give youth a positive and safe outlet for their energy.
Reggie also remembers when the whole neighborhood would come out to roller skate on what had once been tennis courts. Until a 2022 knee injury slowed him down, Reggie’s been an avid roller skater himself, enjoying outings to Butler Skateland and Racine Star Roller Rink. When he wasn’t roller skating, this man of many hobbies was for decades also involved in a motorcycle club, having won a number of awards celebrating his commitment (just ask to see his trophies!).
But there’s a deeper passion for the water.
Reggie loves to fish. He owns a 14-foot fishing boat and enjoys trawling at Random Lake, Montello, Princeton, Madison—wherever the fish are biting in Wisconsin. He runs with a crew of about eight longtime friends and their wives who all love to fish. They call themselves “Addicted to Fishing.”
“They call me the Lip Snatcher! Whatever’s biting, I catch that lip coming up out of the water,” Reggie says.
His favorite catch was a huge flathead catfish—some 28 pounds. He had to hold it in both hands.
“I love catching catfish. I like to catch the fish that give me the most fight,” Reggie says. “Like, when I go to Louisiana, I’m fishing for alligator gar. Alligator gars give you the best fight ever.”
Reggie grew up fishing in ponds and lagoons at Milwaukee’s Washington and Dineen Parks. His family would also frequent Pewaukee to fish. “I was born in the city but I’m a country boy... All my mom’s people are from Louisiana. That’s me. It’s all in my blood. An outdoorsman.”
In 2022 he had not yet been ice fishing—but was excited to go in the winter for his very first time.
Fishing is a tradition he is excited to share with his 15 grandkids.
Reggie works for the City of Milwaukee Department of Public Works Division of Sanitation as a garbage truck driver, a job he enjoys. But his knee injury sidelined him and in 2022 he was figuring out next steps with DPW.
He and his sister previously sold their Boston Bar & Grill at 36th and Villard, Reggie says.
In 2022 Reggie was building out a master bedroom upstairs.
After heavy rains resulted in a “puddle” in his basement, Reggie regraded the area around his foundation. He also disconnected his home’s downspout and redirected it away from the house. He tried a rain barrel for a year but did not use it in 2022.
“I ain’t goin nowhere. I’m here.”