Demolishing Marjory Stoneman Douglas High begins

For six years, time stood still inside the 1200 building of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High, and on Friday, the site where 17 people were massacred is getting torn down.

An excavator ripped through the walls as family members of the victims and members of the community watched.

For Wendie Katz, the wait is finally over.

“It’s like turning a page in a chapter that we just want it gone, and we’re very thankful that they decided to take it down,” said Katz.

Katz is talking about the building where the Parkland massacre happened.

She lives across the street from Marjory Stoneman Douglas and had to drive by the building every day for six years.

“I’m so happy for the families that they won’t have to pass this by anymore and the rest of the community as well,” said Katz.

“It’s kind of just been left. They’ve put up about a 12-foot fence around it. Students have to walk by it every day. The senior class, this is their parking lot, they’re walking by this, the teachers, a lot of doors open to that building and a lot of the same teachers that it opens up to, were here that day so this is this is a huge step,” said Eric Harner, a teacher at Marjory Stoneman Douglas.

A huge step in closing the chapter. The demolition should take three weeks, and once the dust settles, the constant reminder will vanish.

However, that doesn’t mean what happened will be forgotten. Rather, the Parkland community will forever be scarred by the events that unfolded that day.

“For those of us, the families, there’s never going to be closure,” said Katz.

But the healing process can take a big step forward once the building is gone.

The staff says the plan is to just put grass down where the building previously stood.