We’ve got to make the mix – cross the bridge, man.Chris Andre-Watson, aged 30 Baptist ministerBorn in Leyton, northeast London. I went to Bristol for the carnival and that was excellent: black people, white people – jumping up. The other day there was a black festival in Hackney, in the park. People will respect someone because they think that person’s hard, he can fight or he knows everybody “on the manor” But that ain’t something to respect someone for Because there is always someone badder than you I don’t go to full black raves where it’s only black people You’ve got to mix it up a bit, cross the bridge. My mum and dad went out and worked every day of their lives to set up home and bring up their kids the right way.

Now they’re getting a bit more respect, but at the time when they come they weren’t getti ng any respect – it was “no blacks, no Irish, no pets”, and the family living in one room But they built it up for us. But with this jungle music, it’s bringing black people and white people together Our parents get no respect They had to work hard. A white man’s night out is going down to the pub, drinking and getting out of his head and then starting a fight – “Come on, come on!” Black people don’t do that They’ll see a g irl they like, go and dance up with her They’ll drink their skin full then go home It’s a culture clash. A lot of black people’s parties, white girls will come, but not white guys. If I hear my son make some comment like “Daddy, that white b oy there”, I say “Don’t say ‘that white boy, say that boy’.” I try to show him, because I don’t want him to be like some of these white people who bring up their kids and say “don’t play with the blacks”.

Now you think, are they talking about me? They must be, because they’ve just gone quiet. I’m not a racist guy, there’s good and bad in everybody, but the way that black people being treated in this country – it ain’t right at all And it’s our kids that’s gonna suffer more than us. All the office people i n their suits and ties were walking past They never even gave me an apology Where I work, there’s about five black guys. The majority of people are white but you can just feel it: you go past and they’re talking, but as soon as you come and sit down, they’re quiet. The police came and said they c ould either search me there or take me to Snow Hill police station.

I said, “I ain’t going to let you search me – I’ll search myself.” When the policeman found nothing, he made me take my shoes and socks off in Paternoster Square. I went out with some white guys for lunch in Paternoster Square in the City and I was sitting down drinking a can of beer while the white guys smoked some weed. Has also been a reggae and soul DJ for 16 years, most recently with Heartbeat sound.Black people get no respect at all The police are the worst. Went through a series of jobs before starting work with the Post Office. I did it because that once I’ve got these pieces of paper and been through the process of educatio n, no one could ever take it away from me.Floyd Herbert (known as Anthony), aged 30 Post Office worker and DJ Born in London and currently living in Poplar, in London’s East End Left school at 15 to do a course in engineering. I knew when I decided to pursue postgraduate study that I was foregoing financial rewards. Education is the si ngle most important thing in our development.