The LA Fires Exposed the Inequity at the Heart of GoFundMe

GoFundMe is the world's biggest crowdfunding platform and the go-to way for Americans in crisis to give to one another.

The Eaton fire destroyed more than 9,000 structures and killed at least 17 people, with at least 24 people reported missing.

Altadena , California , was a place where Black families had settled after leaving the Jim Crow South .

The list has grown from a few dozen campaigns to more than 700 that have raised a total of $17 million .

Some GoFundMe campaigns from friends and acquaintances who lost their homes raised tens of thousands of dollars.

Wealthier people tend to have wealthier friends and have friends managing the campaigns for them.

Researchers are interested in collecting data in the Los Angeles fires, mostly due to the disparity between the Pacific Palisades and Altadena neighborhoods.

An initial analysis by The Intercept looked at more than 1,300 LA County -based campaigns highlighted on GoFundMe ’s curated California Wildfires relief list a week after the Eaton and Palisades fires began.

Less than 40 percent of the fundraisers on the Displaced Black Families list were included in the curated list.

The company said it does not collect demographic data on its users, including age and race.