Having played reluctant host to mass civil disturbances less than two years ago, St. Louisans should feel nothing but sympathy for the people of Cleveland, Ohio. The Republican National Convention, scheduled there for July 18-21, promises a volatile mix of politics, protest, xenophobia, guns and resentment, all presided over by the temperamental Donald Trump.

Not since the GOP convention in San Francisco in 1964 or the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in 1968 has a national political convention held so much potential for upheaval. Pundits who've bemoaned political conventions as snoozefests and four-day infomercials should have been careful what they wished for.

This week came word that anti-Trump Republicans, fearing a debacle in November, are planning a possible 11th-hour effort to amend the convention rules to permit delegates to vote for anyone they want. The party's rules committee meets July 14-15.

Should the committee change the rules, the backlash among Trump supporters, inside and outside the convention hall, could be massive. They'd have a point. Had the party's rank and file wanted someone else, they had 16 other candidates to choose from. Having created the anger and animosity that allowed Trump to prevail, the party has no choice but to accept the consequences.

Cleveland's police department is gearing up for the convention like the Allies geared up for the Normandy invasion. National convention cities get $50 million federal security grants to buy stuff they think they'll need. Cleveland officials, properly, won't reveal the full list of what they've bought, but here is a partial list:

—2,000 sets of full riot gear and a lesser amount of body armor, including anti-ballistic helmets and groin, arm, chest and leg protection.

—2,400 Camelbak wearable hydration packs.

—2,000 26-inch ASP retractable steel batons.

—Enough steel barriers to block off 3.7 miles of street.

—15 motorcycles and 310 bicycles, along with protective gear for riders.

—Three horse trailers.

—10,000 pairs of plastic handcuffs. Americans must hope they don't need it. This is a shopping list fit for a banana republic.

Multiplying the police department's problems is the "help" it will get from gun-toting citizens. Like Missouri, Ohio is an open-carry state. Gun rights advocates initially wanted the right to carry firearms anywhere downtown, including the Quicken Loans Arena where the convention will be held. The Secret Service nixed that and will establish a no-guns perimeter around the arena. Outside of that perimeter, where all sorts of angry and possibly drunk protesters are expected to gather, citizens may be heavily and legally armed.

The Trump campaign opened a lot of America's fault lines. A lot of long-buried resentment and hostility came crawling out. Cleveland will test the republic's ability to handle dissent and disagreement. The nation dares not fail.

REPRINTED FROM THE ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH