In 2011 a democratic uprising spread across the Arab world. Ordinary people used social media and pure will in what became known as the Arab Spring. The movement started in Tunisia and quickly took hold in Egypt, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan. At stake was freedom and survival. The success of the mission is debatable. The movement to change is nothing short of astounding.

Cutting the Bristol Fourth of July Parade by a half mile looks trivial in comparison. Moving the starting line from one street to another is no war crime. Bristol's overwhelming response to this change, however, was astounding.

News of the Bristol Fourth of July Committee's decision to shorten the parade route by a half mile, starting it in front of Guiteras School instead of on Chestnut Street, hit the town like an earthquake. Media outlets from all over the country carried the story. Facebook lit up with shock and anger. A Change.org petition received thousands of signatures in no time. Members of the committee said angry residents called their homes, shouted at them on the street. In the comments section of Eastbayri.com and elsewhere, the few readers who agreed with the decision were barked down with extreme prejudice from keyboards all over town.

The rhetoric boiled down to this: "How dare they change the parade without telling us?"

The answer is simple: They don't have to tell anyone.

The town council appoints members to the Bristol Fourth of July Committee. The committee, however, answers to no one. Not to the town council, not to the town administrator. Perhaps this is how it should be. The parade is a herculean undertaking that manages to go off with nary a hitch every year while the committee's hard work goes largely unsung.

However, the committee's decision to change their vote in the face of public outcry suggests they actually do answer to someone – the people of Bristol. Again, perhaps this is as it should be.

I find it hard to believe the committee was surprised by the blowback. I wasn't born here, or even near here, but my first visit to the parade told me everything I needed to know: Bristol loves its parade more than anything else, and this is not a town where change comes easy.

But change will come. Safety issues in that area of Hope Street have been a concern for more than one police chief. We've lost the majority of marching bands in the parade and the route has been plagued by dead spots for years. The move to cut or modify the parade route will resurface. When it does, the committee should be  transparent. The citizens should be heard. If hundreds of Bristol residents can pack a school auditorium to fight for something they love, the committee can be just as passionate and clear when they propose killing it.

And the best idea will carry the day.