Ever since hockey mom Julie Paskall was beaten to death outside a Newton Wave Pool and Recreation Centre on December 29th, the community has been asking officials to clean up the streets, to find ways to deal with drug dealers and crime in Surrey.

Paskall’s tragic death was likely on the mind of Janet Brown, a CKNW reporter, when she had a dangerous encounter outside a Surrey hockey arena in Whalley Thursday night.

On Unfiltered with Jill Krop, Brown said she’s been deeply impacted by the brutal beating of Paskall.

“I’ve been really affected by her death because I’m also a hockey mom and I drove to the site outside the Newton arena where she was killed just to see it for myself and to pay my respects where she was killed and seeing something on TV and hearing about it on the radio and going to a place are completely different things. And when I went to that arena as I’ve been to every arena in Surrey I couldn’t believe she was killed so close to the front door of that arena.”

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She sent out some startling tweets about the drug deal incident, and got a response from officials right away who jumped into action immediately.

Was all the attention the result of Brown’s position in the media? Jill Krop asked Brown directly.

“What do you attribute all the attention you’ve received from the Mayor I understand called you, an inspector from the police department, a city manger called you?”

Brown says she appreciates all of them calling her.

“It tells me it’s on their radar and it’s front and centre. And hopefully they’re going to do something about it. Maybe it was supposed to happen. Maybe it was supposed to happen to me,”

Surrey City Councilor Barinder Rasode says they are reacting differently ever since Paksall’s death because the incident is on their minds too.

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“We are also not reacting the way we would have before because it’s also on our minds.”

Rasode says cameras are being installed and that security is being increased and maintained throughout all of Surrey’s recentres. Lighting has been assessed and shrubs and bushes have been cut.

“That’s why I think Janet got the response that she did because we weren’t happy to hear of Janet’s experience because it does reflect on us as a city and we want to change that and we’re doing it as quickly as we can. Crews have been working long hours, city staff whether its senior manager or people at the parks and rec counters. Everybody’s engaged and making changes. And so we’re on it and we’re going to do as much as we can.”

No arrests have been made and Paskall’s killer is still at large.