I don't believe that gotchas like this have the effect you think they do.

Huh?

A black person appropriating a term of abuse for themselves is very different than a white person using it against them. Their username is not offensive.

I also can’t say his name at a team meeting to cite where I learned something he may have tweeted. You can’t really make a word unusably offensive by others, but then keep using it yourself. At least not if you still want your voice to be part of the broader discussion.

Having different double standards who get to use the term is not only hypocritical, it's also racist.

Therefore everyone must be allowed to use his nick: negroprogrammer, or risk the above violation.

I think it smart if for free speech, and not just used as a sword or shield against others.

It’s definitely offensive, it’s also definitely not racist in this context.