DETROIT – A large crowd gathered Wednesday outside the DTE Energy headquarters in Detroit to protest the utility's handling of service shutoffs.

The protestors were part of the group Good Jobs Now. They said DTE has strong profits but is giving little help to those who can't pay their bills.

DTE Energy's statement:

"With Michigan's tough economic condition, we understand utility bills can pose a significant challenge for some of our customers.

That's why we work closely with agencies such as THAW, the United Way and the Salvation Army and work hard to retain federal and state energy payment assistance so our customers can keep their lights and heat on.

We understand and share the concern of the protestors, but don't agree with their methods or suggestions for solving the problem.

We've hosted more than 170 customer assistance events in the state to help customers get assistance with energy bills.

We've also helped struggling Michigan families get access to $123 million in energy funding, despite cuts made by the federal government.

We also operate several remote offices in neighborhood churches and neighborhood service organizations to work with our customers and make them feel more comfortable.

Last November, we had our Week of Warmth initiative with THAW, which helped raise and distribute more than a million dollars in energy assistance for our customers.

We're proud of the work we do to help find solutions for customers struggling to pay their energy bills, but we can't do it alone.  

This is a societal issue that can't be solved by any one company.

Public protests, such as the one today, do nothing to identify realistic and productive solutions."