Should Stoneman Douglas building be demolished now, or years from now?

Everywhere classmates turn at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High, it’s a stark reminder of the mass shooting — the freshman building where 17 died and 17 others were wounded.

Some in the Parkland community have called it horrific: Why make students keep walking past this fenced-off, three-story building each day for years to come? Why not immediately demolish it?

The issue resurfaced Thursday when the Broward Public Defender’s Office, which represents Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz, argued that the 1200 building’s mere presence is traumatizing. They bashed prosecutors’ decision to keep it standing.

Cruz faces 17 counts of first-degree murder, and prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. They view the building as crucial for trial, when jurors could walk through it as part of determining the shooter’s fate.

But the shooter already has admitted to the killings. And it’s unnecessary to keep the building because “multiple agencies have developed computer-generated simulations of the events that can be presented at trial,” the Public Defender’s Office said in court documents.

When Parkland residents recently asked Broward State Attorney Michael Satz why the building must remain, he “suggested that it be covered with camouflage,” the defense lawyers wrote.

Chief Assistant State Attorney Jeff Marcus said Satz has reached out to U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch, whose district includes Parkland, “seeking his assistance in finding a way to further obscure the building, but still preserving the most vital piece of evidence in the case.”

“The prosecution team has discussed with the murder victims’ families — and other members of the community — how vital this evidence is to the case,” Marcus responded in an email.